WhatsApp launches Channels, a feed equivalent to Facebook or Twitter

Meta announced on Wednesday the large-scale launch of Channels, a new product available on its messaging platform WhatsApp and which allows you to consult user publications, like on Facebook or Twitter (now X). Channels is now available in 150 countries, according to a release from Meta, but according to several WhatsApp users in the United States, it appears that this feature is not yet accessible in Meta's home country.

Asked by AFP for the list of countries concerned, Meta did not respond immediately. For regions where the product has been launched, it is now possible for WhatsApp users to follow an account that offers a channel, then view messages posted in a section separate from ordinary communications on the platform. Like other networks like X (formerly Twitter) or Facebook, it is possible to react to messages, with comments or emojis. Channels is also reminiscent of a feature already available on another messaging network, Telegram.

Meta highlights the privacy of Channels, as no WhatsApp user can know which channels another account follows. The platform also allows channel administrators to refuse, without justification, that a user follows the content it produces. Creating a channel is, for now, limited to certain users, but Meta plans to open this possibility to all accounts “in the coming months”.

Meta regularly seeks to offer new features on its existing platforms, or even new networks, like Threads, X's competitor launched at the beginning of July.