Earlier this week we updated you on a rather explosive WhatsApp update that gives group admins the ability to delete other people’s messages. This means, that when the update drops, admins will be able to wield significant power over all group conversations. Well, that power looks set to grow even further as WhatsApp is rolling out another update that will significantly boost potential WhatsApp group sizes.
In a WhatsApp blog post published yesterday, the messaging app announced that it was effectively doubling the size of WhatsApp groups from 256 to 512 members. This means that when the update lands on your phone, you’ll be able to add over half a thousand other users to a group.
It may be hard to imagine how many notifications you would get from a WhatsApp group with so many users in it, but it is pretty safe to assume that most users will have groups that big muted.
What’s interesting is that when combined with the feature we reported on earlier in the week, this gives WhatsApp groups the potential to become more community-focused means of communication, with teams of moderators actively managing the groups. This allows the popular messaging app to offer something a little similar to what you can currently get on Telegram, for example.
WhatsApp getting 2GB file-sharing capabilities
Other big news to come in the same blog post is that WhatsApp is also massively updating its file-sharing capabilities. When the update lands on your phone, you’ll be able to share files up to 2GB in size using the app. This is a massive increase as at the moment you are only able to share files up to a paltry 100MB in size.
React to WhatsApp messages with emojis
If you are a big fan of emojis but think posting them as messages is a clumsy solution, you’ll be glad to hear that the same update will also bring you the chance to react to individual messages themselves using emojis. You can see an example of what this will look like above.
This update is currently rolling out to both Android and iOS users, so you can expect it to land on your phone sometime soon. These WhatsApp updates usually take a while to reach everybody though, so don’t worry if you haven’t received it yet, it is coming. While you’re waiting for it to land, why don’t you check out our WhatsApp Productivity Guide to help you get more from the app.
Image via: WhatsApp
