WhatsApp launches Communities, new-version of Groups

Communities on WhatsApp has been officially rolled out on a global scale and will be available to everyone over the next few months.

Communities has been touted as a major update to how people will be able to connect on WhatsApp in groups and have been cited as neighborhoods - for instance, a community of parents can house various groups like parents at school, workplaces et al, under one umbrella of a community. 

To get started, tap on the new communities tab at the top of the chats on Android and at the bottom on iOS. From there start a new Community from scratch or add existing groups.

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Once in a community, users can switch between available groups to get the information needed, when they need it and admins can send important updates to everyone in the Community

WhatsApp has also released three more features: the ability to create in-chat polls, 32-person video calls, and groups with up to 1024 users. Just like emoji reactions, larger file sharing, and admin deletion, these features can be used in any group but will be particularly helpful for Communities.

The platform mentioned it has been working with over 50 organizations in 15 countries to build Communities to meet their needs. WhatsApp also plans to build further and keep adding features over the coming months.