Explained: What is WhatsApp Communities feature, what it means for users, how it works and more
Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp announced a major feature today. Called Communities, WhatsApp says that it changes the way how people will be able to connect on WhatsApp in the groups that matter to them. Is it different from Groups? How will it work? We explain everything you need to know about WhatsApp Communities:
WhatsApp Communities: What is it and who can use it
Meta gives the example of parents at a school or even residential complex or a small office — “close-knit groups”. What Communities does is that it gives users more tools to organise and manage their conversations. Meta says that Communities is ideal for groups that have a connection where people know one another and are organised around a common place or interest.
Every Community on WhatsApp will have a description and menu of groups that people can choose to join. “This provides a structure and organisation to conversations among larger and more complex groups that allow people to focus on what matters to them,” explains Meta.
How to use Communities on WhatsApp?
To get started, users can tap on the new communities tab at the top of their chats on Android and at the bottom on iOS. From there, users will be able to start a new Community from scratch or add
existing groups. Once in a community, users can easily switch between available groups to get the information you need, when they need it, and admins can send important updates to everyone in the Community.
Will Communities also have admins?
Yes, they will and they will be responsible for creating and managing Communities on WhatsApp. Admins will be able to choose which groups become part of their Community by forming new groups or by linking pre-existing groups. Community admins will also have the ability to unlink groups from the Community and remove individual members from the Community entirely. In addition, group admins will be able to delete inappropriate or abusive chats or media for all members of a group. Admins will be provided with resources on how best to use these new features.
What control will users have within Communities?
Users will be allowed to decide who can add them to Communities. Further, they will also be able to easily report abuse, block accounts, and leave Communities they no longer want to be a part of. Like Groups, there will be the option to silently leave a group, so everyone in a group is not notified in case people decide the conversation is no longer for them.
How private and secure will Communities be?
There might be a worry that if you join a Community then your phone number will be visible to everyone. That will not be the case. To help protect user privacy, Meta says that your phone number will be hidden from the Community at large and only be visible to Community admins and others in the same group as you. “This will help prevent unwanted contact and will also reduce the risk of scraping people’s phone numbers,” says Meta.
Further, all chats will be end-to-end encrypted so that only the members of the respective groups can see them and no one else.
What about ‘abusive’ Communities?
Chances are that Communities might be created that post offensive content or abusive content. Users and admins will have the option to report abusive communities. WhatsApp has said that it will crack down hard on any Communities engaging in abuse such as distributing child sexual abuse material or coordinating violence or human trafficking, “WhatsApp will ban individual Community members or admins, disband a Community, or ban all members of a Community.” WhatsApp will rely on all available unencrypted information including the Community name, description, and user reports to take appropriate action.
When will Communities be available to all WhatsApp users?
The global rollout of WhatsApp has started and in the next few days users will be able to see and use the Communities feature on the instant messaging app.
WhatsApp Communities: What is it and who can use it
Meta gives the example of parents at a school or even residential complex or a small office — “close-knit groups”. What Communities does is that it gives users more tools to organise and manage their conversations. Meta says that Communities is ideal for groups that have a connection where people know one another and are organised around a common place or interest.
Every Community on WhatsApp will have a description and menu of groups that people can choose to join. “This provides a structure and organisation to conversations among larger and more complex groups that allow people to focus on what matters to them,” explains Meta.
How to use Communities on WhatsApp?
To get started, users can tap on the new communities tab at the top of their chats on Android and at the bottom on iOS. From there, users will be able to start a new Community from scratch or add
existing groups. Once in a community, users can easily switch between available groups to get the information you need, when they need it, and admins can send important updates to everyone in the Community.
Will Communities also have admins?
Yes, they will and they will be responsible for creating and managing Communities on WhatsApp. Admins will be able to choose which groups become part of their Community by forming new groups or by linking pre-existing groups. Community admins will also have the ability to unlink groups from the Community and remove individual members from the Community entirely. In addition, group admins will be able to delete inappropriate or abusive chats or media for all members of a group. Admins will be provided with resources on how best to use these new features.
What control will users have within Communities?
Users will be allowed to decide who can add them to Communities. Further, they will also be able to easily report abuse, block accounts, and leave Communities they no longer want to be a part of. Like Groups, there will be the option to silently leave a group, so everyone in a group is not notified in case people decide the conversation is no longer for them.
How private and secure will Communities be?
There might be a worry that if you join a Community then your phone number will be visible to everyone. That will not be the case. To help protect user privacy, Meta says that your phone number will be hidden from the Community at large and only be visible to Community admins and others in the same group as you. “This will help prevent unwanted contact and will also reduce the risk of scraping people’s phone numbers,” says Meta.
Further, all chats will be end-to-end encrypted so that only the members of the respective groups can see them and no one else.
What about ‘abusive’ Communities?
Chances are that Communities might be created that post offensive content or abusive content. Users and admins will have the option to report abusive communities. WhatsApp has said that it will crack down hard on any Communities engaging in abuse such as distributing child sexual abuse material or coordinating violence or human trafficking, “WhatsApp will ban individual Community members or admins, disband a Community, or ban all members of a Community.” WhatsApp will rely on all available unencrypted information including the Community name, description, and user reports to take appropriate action.
When will Communities be available to all WhatsApp users?
The global rollout of WhatsApp has started and in the next few days users will be able to see and use the Communities feature on the instant messaging app.
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