Tired of WhatsApp group clutter? Channels can be your gateway to relevant updates without the chaos
Channel Surfing
While they can be useful, there’s no denying that WhatsApp groups can be overwhelming. In India, WhatsApp has become the primary source of communication. Unlike the US, where the blue bubble — iMessage — is quite coveted, even iPhone users in India probably use WhatsApp more. But the problem with these groups is that the useful content often gets drowned out by inane messages. WhatsApp Channels is a good alternative to get updates and yet keep your privacy — and sanity — intact.
One-Way Street
Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers and polls. So, if you follow a Channel, you can only see updates from what the admin posts. All you can do is react using emojis to give feedback and see a count of total reactions. Your reactions will not be visible to other followers.
How To Find Channels
There is an enhanced directory where you can find channels to follow that are automatically filtered based on your country. One can also view channels that are new, most active and popular based on the number of followers.
What's In It For You?
Channels won’t reveal your phone number to the admin or other followers. So, who you want to follow is completely your choice and it remains private. If you want to follow updates, say from the Indian cricket team, and not be part of a cricket group that provides mindless analysis and not important updates, Channels is meant for you. If you want to become an admin of a Channel, then it is for you to decide who can follow your channel or where and whether they want it to be discoverable in the directory or not.
If after a while you feel that a particular Channel isn’t useful or adding value, you can simply unfollow it without the
