WhatsApp bet on ‘giant groups’ in 2023; remember resources released by the app

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The application was known for conversations with two people or, at most, in groups of 256 participants. This year, however, the platform invested in resources that bring together thousands of people, such as Channels and Communities. WhatsApp Dimitri Karastelev/Unsplash WhatsApp became popular as a private messaging application, aimed at interactions between two people or, at the limit, between 256 participants in groups. That changed in 2023: the service launched features that brought it closer to a public conversation platform. In January, WhatsApp released Communities, which centralizes groups in a single space and allows you to send messages to up to 5,000 people. Then, in September, it was the turn of Canals, with which it is possible to send notices to an unlimited number of users. The Meta app, which also owns Facebook and Instagram, also announced the functionality to edit messages, use an account on up to 4 cell phones simultaneously, silence calls from strangers, pin messages and more. Check out the main features launched by WhatsApp in 2023 below. 📢 Canals g1 is on WhatsApp Channels; see how to participate Channels is one of the main features announced by WhatsApp in 2023. It allows people and companies to send messages to an unlimited number of users in a type of group, something similar to what Telegram already offered. Channels appear in the new “Updates” tab, which was previously called “Status”. There, in addition to stories, you can find new, more active and popular channels. Join the g1 channel on WhatsApp As the idea is for the channels to be used for public conversations, these spaces do not have the end-to-end encryption that exists in individual conversations and WhatsApp groups. See below how to join a WhatsApp channel: On the home screen, tap “Updates”; Next to “Channels”, tap “+”; Select “Find channels”; Click the magnifying glass icon and type a channel name. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Communities At the beginning of the year, WhatsApp began releasing Communities in Brazil, a function that allows you to organize several groups into larger structures and send messages to up to 5 thousand people. The objective is to bring together up to 50 groups under the same umbrella, with a limit to accommodate up to 5 thousand people in a community. The tool was presented in 2022, but it took a few months to reach the country due to the elections that year. In an attempt to combat misinformation, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) signed an agreement to avoid significant changes to the platform before the vote. WhatsApp Communities: understand how the new feature works 🔏 Conversations with password or biometrics In May, WhatsApp launched a feature that allows you to protect conversations. The new tool allows you to hide a chat from the WhatsApp home screen, which is “transferred” to a secure folder, called “Protected Conversations”. Conversations in this folder can only be accessed by entering the password or entering biometrics (facial or fingerprint) registered on your device. Then, the messenger announced that it is possible to hide the “Protected conversations” folder from the home screen and only show it when typing a secret code in the search. Here’s how to use it: Open WhatsApp and tap the name of a contact or group; Select the blocking option to protect conversations; To reveal hidden chats, swipe down the chat list; Enter password or biometrics. WhatsApp gains feature to protect specific conversations Disclosure/WhatsApp ✍️ Editing messages Another function long awaited by WhatsApp users was editing messages — it was officially made available in May. The edit option is available up to 15 minutes after sending the message. When the feature is used, the application starts showing the word “edited” next to the message. Here’s how to do it: Tap and hold on the message you sent; Tap “Edit” – on Android, you must first click on ⁝ (three dots icon at the top of the screen); Write your new message and select the “Send” button. Option to edit message on WhatsApp Disclosure/WhatsApp 📱 Account on up to 4 cell phones WhatsApp has allowed the use of an account on up to four cell phones at the same time. The feature makes devices connect independently to the account. Even with the change, messages remain protected with end-to-end encryption. And, for safety, if the main device is inactive for a long time, the secondary devices are automatically disconnected. Other features launched in 2023: ✔️ Control over who can join groups: administrators have more control to allow or veto participants from entering groups. 🤫 Silence calls from unknown numbers: users can configure the application to automatically reject calls from unknown numbers. 📌 Pin messages in chats: already present on Telegram, the feature allows you to highlight important information in groups or individual chats. 📂 Save temporary messages forever: the feature allows you to save important excerpts from conversations when the temporary messages option is activated and thus prevent them from being deleted after 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. 🎥 Instant video messages: alternative to audio, the feature allows you to share short videos of up to 60 seconds directly in conversations. WhatsApp video messages Disclosure/WhatsApp 🗣️ Single-playback voice messages: as with photos that can only be viewed once, the new feature limits audio playback by the recipient. 📞 Changes in calls: WhatsApp allowed screen sharing during video calls and, on Windows, increased the limit of participants in calls. 🖼️ HD images: the application now allows you to send photos in high definition, and not just in “standard quality”. WhatsApp has released payment for companies WhatsApp releases payment for companies within the WhatsApp app improved protection against account theft WhatsApp releases new protection against account theft; see how it works

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