WhatsApp has finally rolled out its community feature to users around the world, including in India. In addition, the instant messaging platform has introduced two new group features, including video calls for 32 people and groups of up to 1024 users. Previously, the 32-party calling feature was limited to voice calls only. By introducing a group video calling feature for 32 people, WhatsApp is clearly aiming to rival other video calling apps like Zoom, Skype, etc. As with all new WhatsApp features, these new Groups features won’t be available immediately. WhatsApp said the newly launched feature would be available in the coming weeks. The 32-person video call feature works similarly to the 32-person voice call feature. Users simply add members by clicking the group chat call option. Meta’s own instant messaging platform also introduces features such as in-chat voting and the ability to create groups of up to 1024 users. “Like emoji reactions, large file sharing, and admin delete, these features can be used by any group, but are especially useful for communities,” the company said in an official press release. Further, the company also added that “Communities like neighborhoods, parents at a school, and workplaces can now connect multiple groups together under one umbrella to organize group conversations on WhatsApp.” WhatsApp said that with Communities it is aiming to “raise the bar for how organisations communicate with a level of privacy and security not found anywhere else.” “The alternatives available today require trusting apps or software companies with a copy of their messages - and we think they deserve the higher level of security provided by end-to-end encryption,” the platform added. What is to be seen now is whether this feature which is now rolling out to all users on iOS and Android platforms, holds the ability to transform the way people connect with each other on WhatsApp.
