WhatsApp tests Communities feature as multi-device support goes live

WhatsApp has begun testing the Communities feature, according to WABetaInfo. The Communities feature will allow more members than a group, and hand admins more power, similar to features offered by competing apps like Telegram and Signal.

Reports indicate that Communities chats could have a slightly different looking chat window, and a different chat icon, with square sides and rounded corners. WABetaInfo also reports that Communities chats will continue to be end-to-end encrypted. It may also be possible for admins to create group chats within Communities.

There is no official information on when the Communities feature will be launched, but it is under active development.

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WhatsApp also recently launched the multi-device feature for all users. The functionality had been in beta for some time, and allows users to connect a secondary laptop or desktop computer with their WhatsApp account. The connected device can then be used to chat or call with the user’s account, without the need for the primary phone to be online.

WhatsApp’s multi-device functionality does have some drawbacks. For one, users still cannot use a second phone or tablet device with the same account. And iOS users cannot delete messages or chats from the secondary connected device. Up to four secondary devices can be linked to one phone.

Interested users can activate the multi-device functionality by going to Settings > Linked Devices > Multi-Device Beta.