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#TECH: Malaysians can now access WhatsApp's Communities feature

KUALA LUMPUR: From today, Malaysian WhatsApp users can access the Communities feature first which will gradually be available for everyone to use.

Communities bring separate WhatsApp Groups under one umbrella for seamless information sharing or organisation.

It also gives admins tools so they can control group inclusions in a Community and start smaller discussion groups.

With this feature, admins can send announcements to everyone via an announcement Group, send an invite link or remove members too.

Moreover, all messages including those in Communities are protected with end-to-end encryption.

Malaysians often use WhatsApp Groups for schools, volunteer organisations, neighbourhoods, and small-to-medium-sized businesses.

Rafidah Ahmad from the Alliance of Children with Cerebral Palsy (GAPS) said their committee members, admins, and members interact actively on Whatsapp, but Communities will make it more efficient.

"For members involved in several programmes and projects over multiple WhatsApp groups, which can get cluttered and confusing. Streamlining communications among our members will also help everyone stay updated on what's most important," she said.

Meanwhile, Daniel Cerventus from Entrepreneurs and Startups in Malaysia said WhatsApp is often used for planning and coordination.

"We set up different Groups for different purposes, such as our recent trip to Singapore, planning committees as well as support groups for various needs. I think the idea of having a unified Community with sub-groups will allow us to have a more efficient discussion with the rest of the community," he said.

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