WhatsApp Working on Channels Feature to Compete with Telegram

WhatsApp, the popular messaging platform, is gearing up to introduce a new feature as part of its efforts to enhance its consumer-focused offerings and compete with rivals like Telegram. One area where WhatsApp has lagged behind Telegram is in the availability of Channels. However, recent reports from Android Police suggest that WhatsApp is working on bridging this gap.

The discovery of a new feature in development for WhatsApp was made by WABetaInfo. This feature was spotted in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.23.12.4. Once released, users will gain the ability to search for channels by name and apply filters to sort results alphabetically, by popularity, or based on recency.

It should be noted that this feature is still in the development stage and may not be visible to all beta testers. However, the progress made suggests that the release of Channels is drawing closer.

Based on earlier rumors and information uncovered during beta testing, it is anticipated that channels on WhatsApp will function similarly to WhatsApp broadcasts. The feature will incorporate safeguards to protect the identities of channel members. For instance, the channels you subscribe to will remain private, hidden from the view of others. Additionally, subscribers will not have access to the phone number of the channel owner.

Speculation indicates that the Channels feature may find its place within the Status tab, which could potentially be renamed as Updates. While Channels may not be end-to-end encrypted, they will operate independently from private or group chats. As a result, the introduction of channels is unlikely to impact the existing encryption protocols of WhatsApp.

With the introduction of Channels, WhatsApp aims to bolster its offerings and enhance user engagement. By catching up to Telegram's feature set, WhatsApp hopes to provide its users with an improved messaging experience, ensuring it remains a competitive force in the messaging app landscape.