WhatsApp Communities is getting a new update that will let users create events in their groups. The new update also lets users reply to admin announcements. WhatsApp plans on rolling out new features to Communities and groups over the next few months. These updates are shared on the official WhatsApp Channel.
New features for WhatsApp Communities
- The first feature is the ability to create events within Communities. You can create events for occasions like a birthday party with the date time, and location.
- Members of the WhatsApp Community can respond to the event by confirming their presence at the party. So all members can see who’s going to the event.
- Events created will be visible on the community’s information page. Those who’ve responded saying yes will get a notification as a reminder of when it’s getting close.
- WhatsApp will roll out events first to groups that belong to a Community, and to all groups over the coming months. For context, Communities are one large group to bring multiple groups together under one.
- Community members will also be able to reply to announcements made by admins. These replies will be grouped and minimised so that it’s easier to read. WhatsApp will also mute notifications for replies.
Those spamming would be restricted
WhatsApp is also planning to restrict spam accounts in the future. This feature was spotted by WABetaInfo in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.10.5 update. According to a screenshot shared in the report, WhatsApp will find and detect accounts indicating spam, automated, or bulk messaging and restrict them.
If your WhatsApp account is restricted, then you won’t be able to send new messages or even start a new chat. You will also be notified that your WhatsApp account has been restrict. Others will still be able to send you messages and you’ll be able to reply to them.
It looks like WhatsApp will restrict accounts for a short duration as a sign of warning to the user. In severe cases, the WhatsApp account might be banned if found with several violations. This feature is currently in development and not available to beta testers yet.
