WhatsApp adds public channels for users to compete with Telegram and Discord

 While WhatsApp may be the most widely used messaging app in the world, it is still behind rival apps in offering public channels to users.

After these channels became very popular on apps like Telegram and Discord, Meta Platforms, the owner of WhatsApp, decided to add this feature to the app, and announced that it will provide this feature to users of the app worldwide.

As with rival apps, WhatsApp users will be able to subscribe to a public channel to receive text, images, videos, and other contributions from other users.

Residents of the same neighborhood, school administrators, fans of stars and celebrities, or any group with a common interest can use a channel on WhatsApp to communicate and share information and contributions.

However, WhatsApp channels offer a more one-sided approach where only channel managers are allowed to broadcast information and content, while other subscribers reply with emojis or participate in polls.

To avoid cluttering the user's personal conversations and communications on the WhatsApp app, the content of the subscribed channels will be displayed in a separate tab, according to Meta.

Users can search for channels and view the contributions on them before subscribing to them. The presence of a green checkmark next to the channel name means that WhatsApp has verified that it is reliable, a useful feature for company and business channels.

It is worth mentioning that WhatsApp announced this feature in June 2023. The channel hides the identity of its subscribers so that users do not know who is joining. This feature is not currently available to all users, but it will be gradually made available to WhatsApp users.

Key points:

• WhatsApp is adding public channels to its app to compete with Telegram and Discord.
• These channels will allow users to subscribe to receive information and content from other users.
• Channels are managed by a single person or group, and other users can only reply with emojis or participate in polls.
• Channels will be displayed in a separate tab to avoid cluttering personal conversations.
• The identity of channel subscribers will be hidden.

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