WhatsApp's latest update proves focus on "Communities"

The Meta-owned WhatsApp has launched a new update that renamed the announcement group to "Updates" for iOS and "Home for Android. The company's aim is to make the application more user-friendly.

WhatsApp has been working to develop its community feature and attract more users, making it an easier communication hub for different communities all around the world. According to WABetaInfo, the company has launched a small update for its beta testers that renames the announcement groups in communities.

"This renaming decision may have been made due to the fact that the announcement group is typically a read-only conversation where only community admins can send messages, and it may not fit the traditional definition of a group," the website added to clarify the situation.

 

The screenshot above shows that the caption is now called "Home" for Android and "Updates" for iOS. Apart from that, the community icon has also been relocated from the bottom of the bar to the chat header. As expected, the new update brings a couple of bug fixes, offering a better experience for the community admins. WABetaInfo's report also mentions that the company is working on more fixes for large communities, which will be available in future updates.

Meta saw the feature's potential

Even though it is a very little update, it means that the company focuses on improving the feature. Communities can be described as Facebook groups with a better communication design, and it has the potential to drive WhatsApp from only being a messaging app that you use to talk to your friends and family to a hub for people that share similar interests. In other words, another strong social media platform under the banner of Meta. Some kind of a "modern" forum.

The update is available for some beta testers that install the latest versions of the app. You need to wait for a future update in case you don't have it," says WABetainfo.

Recently, the company announced a new feature called "expiring groups" to boost group chat security. This feature lets users set an expiration date to clean up the group conversations. The expiration date can be picked between one day, one week, or a custom date chosen by the user.

WhatsApp has also added a message editing feature that users have been literally begging for years. The company will bring more features with the upcoming updates, and we will see how "innovative" they can get to improve user experience.

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