WhatsApp Introducing New Channels Feature with Major Update

After announcing a new channel feature in India, Meta-owned popular instant messaging platform WhatsApp is reportedly working on a feature that will automatically delete channel media from your device. The Channels feature allows users to post images, but channel owners can also post links to information and media such as photos and videos.

“WhatsApp is also working to bring a better user experience to channels by introducing new features that aim to improve control over the media it receives. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.20.11 update, we discovered that WhatsApp is developing a feature that controls the automatic removal of channel media from the device,” WABetaInfo reported.

According to a screenshot shared by WABetaInfo, there’s a new section called “Channel Settings” where users can choose when images and videos shared within channels should be automatically deleted from the device.

“Currently, WhatsApp may not immediately delete channel media from a user’s device, as the default setting is ‘Never,’ and this may cause users to inadvertently accumulate a significant amount of channel media on their devices over time, potentially leading to storage issues,” WABetaInfo said.

The screenshot also revealed a white top app bar in the channel settings section that was spotted on WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.18.18. This further confirms that the white top app bar is available in any section of the app.

The report suggested that users will have more control over how long this media stays on their device with the introduction of this feature, improving their overall user experience.

This means that users will no longer need to manually manage channel media to free up storage space on their devices, as the upcoming update will have an automatic option. It is important to note that the deleted media will be loaded when the user reopens the channel.

Also, it looks like this setting can be customized for each channel, allowing users to turn it off on one channel and keep it on on another. A feature to manage the automatic removal of channel media is currently under development and will be available in a future update of the app.