WhatsApp to test application to ease group chats

The messaging service, which is end-to-end encrypted and has about 2 billion users, said the Communities feature would also be end-to-end encrypted. [iStockphoto]

WhatsApp is testing a new feature dubbed, ‘Communities’ that seeks to organise groups in larger structures that could be used by workplaces or schools, the messaging service owned by Meta Platforms said on Thursday.

WhatsApp head, Will Cathcart, said the feature would bring together groups, which are capped at 256 users, under bigger umbrellas, where administrators could send alerts to a community of thousands.