Launching today, it’s designed so that updates can be sent to everyone in all groups in one go, while also allowing for smaller conversations within individual groups. Think of it as a Russian stacking doll of WhatsApp groups, which parent company Meta says is built with neighborhood communities, workplaces and parents in the same school in mind. Once you’re in, you can jump between individual groups (and probably end up deleting most of them). Community admins will gain even more power, such as the ability to send announcement messages to absolutely everyone in all subgroups. The same end-to-end encryption used in existing chats and groups will still be in place, so no one on the outside can witness those outdated memes you send to your teenage children. Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg promises the update just “makes teams better.” How do you build a community? You should see a new communities tab on WhatsApp – it’s at the top of your conversations on Android, and down at the bottom if you’re using an iPhone. From there, you can create a new community from scratch or from a selection of your existing groups. Image: Communities allow you to connect groups together But wait, there’s more… New features are also being added starting today for existing teams. Chief among them are the polls, which may help your friends finally decide what to see at the cinema this weekend. Video calls also expand to a maximum of 32 people. Image: In-chat polls are also added to groups Both plugins will be available in standard WhatsApp groups and any that are part of larger communities. Meta says more updates are on the way in the coming months.
