WhatsApp has added a new way to plan and organize events in group messages, making it easier to hold virtual and in-person meetings with friends and organizations like schools and communities.
The new events feature allows group members to host birthday parties, work meetings, etc., similar to various electronic invitation services that send invitations via email. The new WhatsApp event is pinned to the group’s information page and also has its own group chat thread so everyone can see who failed, hear the inevitable excuses of those who couldn’t attend, and confirm who Brought cookies.
WhatsApp has also added the ability to reply to “announcement groups” so that members can add comments and feedback to administrators. It can also minimize responses and mute chats so people can choose to read and participate in discussions without overwhelming others with notifications.
This events feature will first appear to groups within WhatsApp Communities, and then to all groups in the coming months. WhatsApp Communities is a Slack or Discord equivalent of the chat app, with its own message threads, group management and announcements. It also takes advantage of WhatsApp’s 32-person video calling feature, inviting users to join instead of calling everyone.