Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Meta’s messaging platform WhatsApp announced on Tuesday that its new “Channels” feature is now available in additional countries, including Morocco.
The new feature enables users to receive important updates from people and organizations in a “simple, reliable, and private” manner, without the need to mix them with their personal chats with friends and family, WhatsApp explained in a statement.
The channels feature comes with a dedicated tab called “Updates,” which includes both Status updates from contacts and friends, as well as the channels users choose to follow.
The Channels feature was initially introduced in June, and after a successful trial period in Singapore and Colombia, WhatsApp made it available to users in several other countries starting today.
Besides Morocco, these countries include Egypt, Chile, Malaysia, Ukraine, Kenya, and Peru.
The purpose of Channels is to serve as a one-way broadcast tool, with only channel admins allowed to send content, including text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls.
Read also: Nearly 19 Million Moroccan WhatsApp Accounts Were Allegedly Hacked
To make the feature user-friendly and customizable, WhatsApp is building a “searchable directory” where users can find channels of interest, including hobbies, sports teams, and updates from local officials, added the statement.
Addressing privacy concerns, the messaging application stressed that both channel admins and followers have their personal information protected, saying that both users’ numbers and profile photos will remain hidden.
The company noted that end-to-end encryption is not applied to channels by default, as the aim is to reach a wide audience.
However, WhatsApp is actively considering implementing end-to-end encrypted channels for limited audiences, such as non-profit organizations or health institutions, in the future.
With the release of Channels in new countries, WhatsApp is working to expand its support to channel admins and provide them with the means to build a business around their channel using WhatsApp’s payment services.
