WhatsApp Communities: New features for group chat in the test phase

WhatsApp recently rolled out a new feature for the current beta version of the messenger: Communities. These are group chats, so to speak, which can be divided into smaller subgroups. Community members can then talk about specific topics in the subgroups.

Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg had that Communities feature announced back in April, now it is unlocked – at least for a few randomly selected users – in WhatsApp beta version 2.22.19.3. Anyone who uses the current beta version of the messenger should force the app to close on their smartphone WABetaInfo. With a bit of luck, the communities tab will appear in the former position of the camera button when you open WhatsApp again.

Communities: Group chats organized by topic

Users who have already activated the new feature can then create a community in the new tab. A community can consist of up to ten subgroups, each with space for 512 members. In the subgroups, members can then discuss topics such as sports, gaming, cooking, or any other topic they choose.

To join an existing community, users must receive an invite link from the community creator. Alternatively, the founder can add new members manually. Members of the community can decide for themselves which subgroups they want to join. An announcement group is also created automatically when a community is created. There the creator can send messages to all members of the community, regardless of which subgroups the users are in.

More features and public release

As WABetaInfo reports, users in subgroups will later also have the option of hiding their phone number to protect their privacy. This is not yet possible in the current beta version.

It is not yet known when the communities will be distributed to all WhatsApp users. As a rule, Meta initially extends beta tests to other users within a few weeks. If there are no major complications, new functions will then be made available to all users after a few weeks or months.