Modern Android app UX design has evolved to the point where familiarizing yourself with an app and its features can be done in a matter of minutes. This is especially true for some of thebest messaging appslike WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord — using the available features feels like second nature in no time. However, this means users like you and me must kick old habits to help new features take off. In this vein, it appears WhatsApp wants to give users examples ofhow to use Communitiesso they can graduate from plain old group chats.
WhatsApp has matured as a platform, and people have been comfortable using group chats with incremental improvements for years now. Recently,Meta introduced Communitiesas a neat way to tie multiple groups together under a single umbrella called a Community, just like Discord features channels within a server. It’s not a novel addition, but old habits die hard, and the latest beta (v 2.23.17.2) suggests WhatsApp is adding new onboarding screens to give first-timers a full demo of how communities work.
Source:WABetaInfo
Stepping up fromsimilar UI additions in June, WABetaInfo reports thelatest betaadds a new screen encouraging users to “create a new community” by citing potential use cases like in neighborhoods and schools. The brief feature description also mentions the support for topic-based groups and a dedicated channel for announcements from administrators. Underneath is a button toSee example communities.
Tapping the button guides you through the process of setting up a community on WhatsApp, adding groups, joining them, and sharing updates through the aforementioned announcements group. If you are already acquainted with the feature, you can tap theGet startedbutton at the bottom of the screen to set up your first Community.
This descriptive screen should roll out to more beta testers in the coming days, even on older versions 2.23.16.18 and 2.23.16.19. However, the feature rolled out many months ago and additions like this suggest Communities are struggling to gain traction. What will become of the feature is anyone’s best guess.
