Malaysian WhatsApp users will have early access to its Communities feature ahead of a worldwide rollout, with the feature being rolled out gradually over the next few weeks.
There will be admin tools for certain users to control which group chats can fall under each community umbrella, and users will be able to share information and organize themselves more easily by placing various WhatsApp groups under one umbrella.
Administrators can also create smaller discussion groups, invite members, and remove them where necessary.
All conversations within WhatsApp – including those in groups and communities – will remain private and end-to-end encrypted at all times, according to WhatsApp.
There are many types of communities, such as school groups (parents and teachers), volunteer organizations, neighborhoods, and even small-to-medium-sized businesses (SME).
According to Rafidah Ahmad of Gabungan Anak-Anak Palsi Serebrum (GAPS), a local cerebral palsy community, the organization has already taken advantage of the Communities feature by integrating it into multiple group chats to engage members in programs and projects that would otherwise be cluttered and confusing.
“Our committee members, admins, and members already interact actively on WhatsApp. We feel the new Communities feature will make interactions more efficient,” she said. “Streamlining communications among our members will also help everyone stay updated on what’s most important.”
As part of the new Communities feature, emoji reactions are the most noticeable changes, cutting down on the clutter that can build up in chats. Power users will appreciate admin delete, larger file sharing sizes, larger voice calls, and the ability to leave groups silently.
According to Daniel Cerventus from Entrepreneurs and Startups in Malaysia, WhatsApp is often used for planning and coordination.
“We set up different Groups for different purposes, such as our recent trip to Singapore, planning committees as well as support groups for various needs. I think the idea of having a unified Community with sub-groups will allow us to have a more efficient discussion with the rest of the community,” Daniel adds.