WhatsApp, the Meta-owned messaging app, has introduced a new feature, Channels, that will allow users to receive important updates from people and organisations in a private way within the app. 

“We’re building Channels in a new tab called Updates - where you’ll find Status and channels you choose to follow - separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities,” WhatsApp said in its blog.

Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. To help users to select channels to follow, the app is building a searchable directory where people can find their hobbies, sports teams, updates from local officials, and more. 

The users can also get to a channel from invite links sent in chats, e-mail, or posted online.

“We’re aspiring to build the most private broadcast service available. This starts by protecting the personal information of both admins and followers. As a channel admin, your phone number and profile photo won’t be shown to followers. Likewise, following a channel won’t reveal your phone number to the admin or other followers. Who you decide to follow is your choice and it’s private,” read the blog.

The company will store channel history on its servers for up to 30 days and it will add ways to make updates disappear even faster from follower’s devices. Admins will also have the option to block screenshots and forwards from their channel.

The admins are also allowed to decide who can follow their channel and whether they want their channel to be discoverable in the directory or not. Given the aim of Channels is to reach a wide audience, channels are not end-to-end encrypted by default. “We do think there are some cases where end-to-end encrypted channels to a limited audience might make sense, such as a non profit or health organization, and we’re exploring this as a future option as well,” it added.

The Channels will be first available in Colombia and Singapore and the feature will be extended to more countries and the ability for anyone to create a channel over the coming months.