WhatsApp unlocked channels – can I delete them?

Status: 21/09/2023, 15:39 p.m.

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There has been a new feature on WhatsApp for a few days. So-called channels are now available. But what does that mean?

Hamm - Already at the beginning of the summer, the messenger service WhatsApp announced that it would introduce channels in the app. This new feature has been available for a few days now. However, not everyone may have noticed this. From 2023, not all smartphone users will be able to access the messaging service.

New channel feature on WhatsApp: Get information and news

If you open WhatsApp, you will find the new function under the "News" tab – it replaces the previous "Status" tab. Through the channels, users can subscribe to organizations, associations, companies or the channels of (celebrity) people. For example, Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern, but also Mark Zuckerberg or Netflix have already created a channel. You will then receive texts, photos, videos or links from the subscribed channel. No one is obligated to subscribe to any channel. But: The new function cannot be deactivated either, reports wa.de.

This causes displeasure among many users. "Only shortly after Google's search interest in WhatsApp channels increased, many users started looking for how to hide or deactivate the channels," explains Anja Ibrom, an expert on search engines at RTL.

With Whatsapp you can subscribe to channels in the future. (Symbolic photo) © Andre M. Chang/dpa

The user can react to the content with emojis or participate in channel surveys, but cannot reply back with a message. He is primarily kept up to date with information and news. There is no information about other channel members. Except for the total number that the channel has subscribed to, there is no information about the names or phone numbers of the other members.

New channel feature on WhatsApp: Create your own channel soon

Even the operators of a channel can only view the phone number if they also have the respective subscriber in the contact list. Only the profile name and the profile picture can be seen by a user. Currently, you can't create your own channel. In the coming months, however, this should also become possible.

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