WhatsApp Brings Its Instagram-Like Channels Feature Global

Meta's WhatsApp today learned from its sibling service, Threads, with a global rollout of WhatsApp Channels–a social media style update feed that not all users are thrilled to see. 

Meta today launched WhatsApp Channels in more than 150 countries, greatly expanding the scope of the feature from the handful of countries that had it in July. Channels are private, one-way broadcast groups for celebrities, NGOs and other publicly visible figures to distribute info to followers, just like they can on Telegram and Instagram channels. Meta brought a channels feature to Messenger in February and to Facebook last year. 

WhatsApp users can join channels with a valid invite link (here’s Mark Zuckerberg’s). The app will not reveal user phone numbers or identities to others in the same channel. Messages sent through channels will be available for a 30-day period, according to Meta, but will not be end-to-end encrypted like all other forms of communication on WhatsApp. 

Channels are meant primarily for announcements from the channel owner. While channel followers can react to posts and vote in polls, they will not be able to post in channels or see who else is in them. The feature resembles Twitter in that it allows high-profile people and groups to speak to an interested following. 

The advantage that Meta has over X (formerly Twitter) with this approach is user privacy. Meta promises to protect the personal information of channel followers and admins, with the goal of building “the most private broadcast service available.” Whereas those who follow Elon Musk on X can see most of his other followers, that won't be possible on WhatsApp channels.

Meta partnered with the Indian national cricket team and with Indian celebrities like Diljit Dosanjh, Neha Kakkar, and Katrina Kaif to publicize the feature in India, which has the most WhatsApp users in the world (487 million). In the U.S., the company partnered with musicians like Olivia Rodrigo and David Guetta.

Meta markets WhatsApp Channels as “reliable” ways to get updates from people and organizations within WhatsApp, but users are concerned about a potential increase of ads and “recommended” channels in WhatsApp chat histories. Instagram already faces user complaints about sponsored content and suggested posts; Telegram users are similarly disappointed by “weird, ugly, inevitable” ads on the platform. WhatsApp followed Instagram and Telegram’s example with Channels–users are concerned that WhatsApp's new feature could change the fundamental nature of the service, which is still otherwise focused on messaging.

Even if it may seem natural to get updates on things like weather quality or train delays on a messaging app instead of in the clutter of a newsfeed, the channels feature broadens the scope of WhatsApp’s operations. WhatsApp is still a messaging platform first, but Channels adds a social media flavor into the mix, with all the positives and risks that represents.

WhatsApp has been working on its user experience with earlier efforts to improve photo quality and add AI-generated stickers.