Meta is bringing two new features to WhatsApp as part of its
Community tab: one that provides better privacy to community group chats, and another
that makes it easier to find groups that users have in common.
Community group chat is a relatively new element in WhatsApp that was launched last year. Its purpose is to house multiple sub-groups of larger groups like organizations and schools, and it can hold up to 5,000 users, support video calls for up to 32 participants, and enable group-wide admin announcements.
The new privacy tool for community group chats gives admins
more direct control over group privacy by enabling them to decide who gets to
join their group via an invite link or community, since anyone with access to a
URL can join a group.
The other is a search tool that allows users to search for a
contact’s name and view a list of the groups they’re both a member of. This can
be particularly helpful if a user can’t remember the name of the group they
want to find, and for members of business or educational-focused communities to
check if they have joined the correct groups by viewing the lists of other
participants.
