WhatsApp is in the final testing phase of the feature that will allow you to create groups of up to 1,024 participants. Some users of the application, both Android and iOS, already have access to this tool, and according to the website WaBetaInfo, which anticipates news about the messenger application, the function will soon be available to everyone.

It is currently possible to create groups of up to 256 people, but users of the beta versions (used in selected tests) can now add up to 512 participants. In addition to this last possibility, another sample of users can create groups with up to 1,024 members.

The WABetaInfo website did not specify in which countries the tests are being carried out. However, Brazil is currently off the list.

There is no information yet regarding the ability to change the number of members allowed in an existing group after the maximum capacity has been increased.

In addition to groups with more than 1,000 members, WhatsApp plans to launch the “Communities” tool worldwide in 2022, with which several groups can be brought together and thus communicate with thousands of people at the same time. However, at the request of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the launch of the resource in the country is being postponed until 2023 to prevent the spread of false news during the election period.

“We are excited to see the value that the “Communities” feature will bring to social organizations and businesses to manage their group chats. While we are moving forward, we do not expect to launch communities in Brazil before 2023“, declared Whatsapp in a note in August.

Whatsapp's new feature demonstrates competition between the Telegram and Discord apps, which allow groups with more than 200,000 users – it's a race for their reach.

Furthermore, WhatsApp started releasing the paid version of the app, which is exclusive to companies and is called WhatsApp Premium. WaBetaInfo announced last week that the premium version will bring new features to users. 

According to the website, the update will initially only be available for WhatsApp Business accounts. Some users report that the tool has already appeared in the application, allowing subscriptions. The “Whatsapp Premium” option is located in the Whatsapp Business Beta settings tab, if you want to check if it is already available on the device.

The Whatsapp Premium Subscription process can be done through the application itself and the value has not yet been revealed, although it varies from country to country. Only two new features have been announced so far: the first is the possibility of connecting the user's account on up to 10 devices – four more than the normal version – to facilitate message management, and the second is the creation of personalized commercial links that take the customer directly to the business page.

Furthermore, Meta launched its own API – which communicates from the database to the application – with the intention of helping entrepreneurs develop customer service solutions. Meta also wants to offer its users a free public cloud to save on data storage servers. 

The American newspaper The Verge indicated that Meta, together with Facebook and Instagram, has been analyzing the possibility of installing paid features on its platform for several months and is already keeping an eye on news from other social networks that already had paid services such as Twitter and Telegram.