WhatsApp Now Supports 32-Person Video Chats, Communities Feature Goes Global

[MacRumors]

Popular Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp received a handful of new feature additions today, along with the global rollout of its new Communities feature.

Communities is designed to allow people to bring together separate groups under a single umbrella, providing users with a way to receive updates that are sent to an entire community, and then organize smaller discussion groups on important topics.

An example use case could be school parents creating an overarching "School" community, which breaks out into smaller groups based on grade and other factors. WhatsApp first started testing Communities in April, and now they're gradually rolling out worldwide.

The encrypted chat platform has also gained in-chat polls, something that has been in beta testing since March. Users are now able to ask a poll question and group members can choose from pre-defined answers. Like chats, polls are end-to-end encrypted, meaning only people in the group can see the poll and the results.

In addition, video calls can now have up to 32 participants, and the maximum group size has been doubled from 512 to 1024 users.

WhatsApp has worked to improve the group chat experience over the last few years in an effort to keep up with competing platforms, introducing group descriptions, a catch-up feature, a one-way messaging option, and protection for users who are being added repeatedly to groups they've left.

Article Link: WhatsApp Now Supports 32-Person Video Chats, Communities Feature Goes Global

 

[Ryan H]

32, wow. They're coming for Discord.

 

[Kylo83]

Are they ever gonna update the macOS app with Apple silicon support 2 years and nothing

 

[SoldOnApple]

This would have been great at the start of the pandemic. Better late than never I suppose.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Don't touch Metaverse products with a barge pole if you value any kind of privacy.

 

[Steve121178]

Are they ever gonna update the macOS app with Apple silicon support 2 years and nothing

The web client is quite handy. I often use that over the app on my Mac.

 

[contacos]

Don't touch Metaverse products with a barge pole if you value any kind of privacy.

Are iCloud Messages even encrypted? I thought Apple has a key for iCloud backup.

—-

I still need WhatsApp since it’s simply more feature rich then iMessage and the storage management of iMessage drives me up the wall but I still continue to give it a chance. iMessage still has a long way to go and I don’t care about Memoji. First think I turned off

 

[DENZIE]

WhatsApp for iPad please. +1 to apple silicon. Non-blurry photos in Apple Watch notifications. Some of the features sorely needed.

 

[Kylo83]

WhatsApp for iPad please. +1 to apple silicon. Non-blurry photos in Apple Watch notifications. Some of the features sorely needed.

The team are honestly usless these should of been done years ago

 

[mdnz]

Are iCloud Messages even encrypted? I thought Apple has a key for iCloud backup.

They're end to end encrypted but if you backup anything (including iMessages) to iCloud, Apple can read the contents.

 

[contacos]

They're end to end encrypted but if you backup anything (including iMessages) to iCloud, Apple can read the contents.

Point for WhatsApp then. Even their backup is end to end encrypted now

 

[JosephAW]

People still use that?

 

[addamas]

32 people and their surroundings recorded and scanned to provide best adverts and mark anonymous activity…

 

[fanboy-ish]

Don't touch Metaverse products with a barge pole if you value any kind of privacy.

It may be difficult to avoid WhatsApp in certain locations. For example, where I live, WhatsApp is the de facto communication app, when exchanging phone numbers people, even businesses, take it for granted that you can be reached on WhatsApp, small businesses conduct their business or customer care on WhatsApp, and not many of us have the clout needed to have their contacts switch to a different platform. I guess that the only way to have people leave WhatsApp is if, either Meta introduces a subscription or there's a huge public outcry and strong public support in favor of another app.

 

[mdnz]

People still use that?

Yes, but only 2.2 billion people globally so it's not that big of a deal.

 

[Kazgarth]

Don't touch Metaverse products with a barge pole if you value any kind of privacy.

At least it has E2E encryption for both the chat and it's backup as well.
No one else hold the keys but you.

 

[cmcbhi]

Point for WhatsApp then. Even their backup is end to end encrypted now

Except, The ZUCK knows.

 

[Akrapovic]

People still use that?

2 billion people. Who all now have tiny paper cuts from how edgy this comment was.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Are iCloud Messages even encrypted? I thought Apple has a key for iCloud backup.

—-

I still need WhatsApp since it’s simply more feature rich then iMessage and the storage management of iMessage drives me up the wall but I still continue to give it a chance. iMessage still has a long way to go and I don’t care about Memoji. First think I turned off

Try "Line" it crushes Whatsapp.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

At least it has E2E encryption for both the chat and it's backup as well.
No one else hold the keys but you.

Try "Line" it crushes Whatsapp.

 

[ian87w]

In chat polls will be very useful.
But for video calls, I think most people now are accustomed to just use Zoom.

 

[DaveTheRave]

Point for WhatsApp then. Even their backup is end to end encrypted now

Yea but not by default. And if you do encrypt, but your contacts don’t, then your conversations are still stored unencrypted on their side.

 

[Steve121178]

People still use that?

Most of the world does.

 

[DaveTheRave]

Try "Line" it crushes Whatsapp.

Try Signal, it crushes both in terms of being the gold standing secure messaging.

 

[DaveTheRave]

People still use that?

Love them or hate them, they are still a major player in messages.