WhatsApp Communities Now Available Across iOS, Android, And Web: How to Setup?

WhatsApp Communities is now available to all the users of the messaging platform. The feature aims to bring people and groups with similar interests closer, and help them communicate better. WhatsApp Communities has been rolled out for Android, iOS, and even the web version of the instant messaging service. Let's look at the features, and benefits, and see how Meta is trying to keep WhatsApp relevant and popular.

WhatsApp Communities For Android, iOS, and Web Users:

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that WhatsApp, as a platform, is growing. He had indicated the platform would soon receive the "Communities" feature. The new feature would help users connect to groups that matter to them on WhatsApp. Talking about the deployment of WhatsApp Communities, Zuckerberg said:

"Today we are excited to share our vision for a new feature we are adding to WhatsApp called Communities. Since WhatsApp launched in 2009, we've been focused on how we can help people have the next best thing to an in-person conversation when they want to talk to an individual or a group of friends or family. We also frequently hear from people who are using WhatsApp to communicate and coordinate within a community".

WhatsApp users are quite familiar with "Groups", which are basically small communities of individuals clubbed together. Communities are essentially Groups with more functionality, flexibility, and the ability to add or include many more people.

What the difference between groups and communities? #WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/kDo9ALaDAQ

— Norhan (@Nora1419) October 25, 2022

WhatsApp Communities make Groups better by enabling multiple sub-groups, threads, announcement channels, and more. Communities can bring Groups with similar interests together and spark conversations, which will remain secure, thanks to end-to-end encryption (E2EE).

How to Start Using WhatsApp Communities?

WhatsApp has deployed a dedicated Communities tab on both Android and iOS platforms. Hence, it is crucial to update the WhatsApp app.

To build a Community, tap the Communities tab, and click on create. Add community name, description, and profile photo. A short explanation should give potential members an idea of the community and its purpose.

The difference between Communities and groups, explained 👇 pic.twitter.com/86MbKtY9Nv

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) November 10, 2022

Users can also add existing groups, or create new groups to add under one community. Apart from the "Announcement" group, users can add up to 50 groups. An Announcement group can have as many as 5,000 members. Groups are open for any community member to join.

With the Communities feature, WhatsApp could be trying to rival other instant messaging platforms such as Telegram. Although a little late, WhatsApp does have a large user base to help Communities take off.