Every WhatsApp Community has an announcement group where administrators can post pertinent information for members to see, however, it appears that non-admins may also soon be allowed to respond to messages, which would change things.
Thanks to the dependable WABetaInfo, this modification was noticed in the WhatsApp beta for Android v2.24.4.12 release. There is a disclaimer, though. Communities with more than 1024 members, according to the publication, might not find this new function on the beta channel.
Community members should be able to respond to announcements by long-pressing the message when it becomes available. Currently, non-admins are unable to comment on the announcement, but they can privately reply to the admin.
Additionally, they have the ability to star, forward, or report the person. This latest beta update also includes an indicator for announcements with replies. Tapping that part displays a text form and the whole list of other members’ replies.
Although a feature like this will undoubtedly increase member participation, huge communities may find it to be a breeding ground for unsolicited or spammy messages.
Admins, however, must make sure that only pertinent replies are left in this situation. Moreover, it’s unclear if WhatsApp will offer a toggle to enable or disable this capability as needed, or if it would be enabled by default.
