WhatsApp Channels Upgrade: Voice Notes, Polls, Multiple Admins

Today, Mark Zuckerberg announced several new features that create more ways for people to engage with WhatsApp Channels. He announced the news on his WhatsApp Channel, along with a poll asking for a vote on the ‘best game of all time’ – “We're announcing a bunch of new features for WA channels including voice notes, multiple admins and sharing to status and polls, which is great because I need help settling a debate.”

The new features have started to roll out globally and include:

• Voice Updates: People can now enjoy voice updates (one of our most popular features) on channels. 7 billion voice messages are sent on WhatsApp daily, so we’re excited to bring this feature to Channels.
• Polls: Channels can share polls for users to answer.
• Share to Status: Share someone’s Channel update on your personal WhatsApp Status.
• Multiple Admins: Now up to 16 admins making it easier to keep people up to date with the latest.

WhatsApp Channels has surpassed 500 million monthly active users and there are thousands of Channels for people to follow including Mumbai Indians, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Katrina Kaif, Vijay Deverakonda, Master Your Money, Bad Bunny, Netflix, National Geographic, Mercedes- AMG Petronas F1, and more.

Here’s a look at what some of your favorite celebrities, sports teams and content creators have to say about WhatsApp Channels. 

Mumbai Indians: “At Mumbai Indians, we have constantly strived to use creative avenues to directly connect with our fans. WhatsApp Channels has been a game changer for us in that endeavour as it helps us communicate directly with our fans and cricket lovers all over the world. We are looking forward to sharing more fun updates, and behind the scenes content. Additional features like multiple admins, polls, voice notes, share to status will surely help us generate more excitement and support for the team.”

Ram Charan: “I'm excited to connect with my fans on my WhatsApp Channel. It is like I'm chatting with them one-on-one. I can't wait to share more updates on this platform that lets me engage with numerous individuals. Stay tuned for exclusive and entertaining content that I look forward to sharing with you all via unique and fun features like voice notes and polls. Let’s get talking!”

Neha Nagar aka Master Your Money: "WhatsApp Channels has been an amazing platform for me to build my community and educate my followers on something as important as financial security. It's really the most organic and fun way to communicate with people where I can be myself and share content that I’m passionate about, without losing the personal touch of a one-on-one conversation. I'm really excited about the new features like voice notes and polls coming to Channels that will make the experience that much more engaging and personal."

Bad Bunny was the first to send voice updates on his WhatsApp Channel to his 19M+ followers. 

WhatsApp Channels is a private way to receive important updates from people and organizations, right within WhatsApp and are separate from your private chats. If you’re looking to hear about more product updates directly from us, you can follow the official WhatsApp Channel to keep you up-to-date on what we’re building.