WhatsApp update brings ‘channels’, allowing people to follow updates from celebrities and companies

Channels work like very big, read-only group chats

Young people were more likely to report being victims of ‘text pesting’ (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Wire)

WhatsApp has launched “channels” globally, allowing people to follow celebrities and companies from within the chat app.

The new feature means that people will be able to broadcast messages to all of their followers, like a private social network.

It has already been joined by sporting organisations, celebrities and others, WhatsApp said. Olivia Rodrigo and Man City are part of “thousands” of channels on the app, it said.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of WhatsApp parent company Meta, will also be launching his own channel to support the global launch, the company said. WhatsApp will also have its own channel for updates within the app.

WhatsApp’s Channels feature rolled out earlier this year, copying other apps such as Telegram. They work something like a group chat in which only one person can post: Mark Zuckerberg can send messages to everyone in his channel, for instance, but they will not be able to reply to him.

Since it was first introduced, in ten countries initially, WhatsApp has added a range of changes to the system. That includes a new, better directory for finding channels, reactions on posts, edits to updates and the option to forward updates.

“This is just the beginning, and we’ll continue to add more features and expand Channels based on feedback we get from users. Over the coming months, we’ll also make it possible for anyone to create a channel,” WhatsApp said in its announcement.

The tool is now rolling out globally, to more than 150 countries, WhatsApp said. It should appear “over the next few weeks”, and users can sign up to a waitlist to be notified when it becomes available.