WhatsApp introduced Channels to the platform a few months ago, a private way to follow what you care about, similar to Telegram. This was only available in 8 countries at first, but now it has finally rolled out globally, including Pakistan.
Channels were originally launched in Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Kenya, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, and Ukraine, but now it’s coming to 150 more countries around the world.
Channels let you broadcast updates and other content in a separate space, just like Telegram. It is not to be confused with Broadcast Lists in WhatsApp that have already existed for ages. That feature sends messages separately to everyone on your list, but channels give you space that can be publicly followed by millions of people.
As shown in the screenshot above, Mark Zuckerburg has also created his own channel to share insights, updates, and news related to WhatsApp.
Channels can be found under the new “Updates” tab on the app’s homescreen. This tab includes Status updates as well as channels near the bottom. Your following channels will also be shown here.
Since some features are rolling out gradually, some of them are unavailable at the moment. For instance, you may not be able to make your own channel at the moment. However, some are able to do so in Pakistan as there are many Pakistani channels on the app already, such as Geo News and others.
Make sure your WhatsApp is updated to the latest version to see channels.