WhatsApp Communities Released For Beta Testers On Android: Here’s How It Works

WhatsApp had announced the Communities feature a few months ago, and it is now being rolled out to select beta testers on Android devices. The Community section will bring together all the groups that you’re a part of under one tab. This will make it easier to manage groups in the app.

WhatsApp Community: How It Works

According to a WABetaInfo report, the latest WhatsApp Android 2.22.19.3 update is now rolling out to select beta testers, bringing with it the new Community feature. WhatsApp’s Community consolidates related groups in a separate section. There are two ways of joining a community—an admin can send you an invite link or you can be added manually. Do note that you will have to enable the feature for your account to chat with all the groups within the community.

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If you have received the Android 2.22.19.3 update, the communities tab will appear in place of the camera tab. Each community can hold a maximum of 10 groups, called “sub-groups.” Each sub group can include up to 512 participants.

When an admin creates a new community, WhatsApp automatically adds a new group called the announcement group. This group allows community admins to broadcast messages to all the participants in that particular community. With this feature, admins can share important announcements without chaotic interruptions from other members.

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Community members can join any sub-group within the community. Moreover, a member can leave a sub-group without having to leave the community. Community admins have the power to disable a community. Members who find issues with a certain community can report it to WhatsApp. The platform will then verify if it violates the terms of service and take necessary action.

Currently, the Community feature is only available to select beta testers on Android. WhatsApp is reportedly planning a wider roll out over the coming weeks.