You may not have to send messages to a group chat to keep your WhatsApp friends updated. WABetaInfo has discovered that code in a recent beta version of WhatApp for Android includes references to an unannounced “Newsletter” feature. While its exact operation is unclear, it is a private space in the Status tab that allows you to share content with a large following. Names and other contact details are hidden by default.
We have asked WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, for comment. This is the first beta to mention the Newsletter feature, so it may not be ready for testing for a while. There is also no guarantee that WhatsApp will publish newsletters as a finished product.
If this goes ahead, it won’t be surprising. WhatsApp is as much a source of information as it is a messaging service, with users frequently forwarding messages and receiving news through group discussions. Newsletters would effectively expedite some of that information delivery. Meta has also spent years pivoting towards privacy-oriented services, including communities that can link various group chats together. The addition could expand WhatsApp’s functionality without turning it into a Facebook-style social network.
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