WhatsApp has added support for Group notification channel capability on Android 8.0 Oreo. The new feature is currently available on WhatsApp Android Beta version 2.18.18 and will have access to ten notification channels. You will be able to work with this feature only if you have a compatible device with Android 8.0 Oreo and have installed WhatsApp Android Beta version 2.18.18. The notifications are enabled for all the ten channels.
In addition to message notifications, WhatsApp Android Beta version 2.18.18 brings in group notifications, chat history backup, failure notifications, sending media, critical app alerts, media playback, uncategorised, silent notifications including other notifications.
As a user, you will be able to control and manage all the ten notification channels separately depending upon the usage. It is possible to modify the importance of group notifications for all the 10 channels to urgent, high, medium and low.
If you would like to make the notifications to make a sound, you need to set it to the Urgent mode. Moreover, the relevant notification will pop up on the screen. If the notification is set to High, then you will be able to hear only the sound. Sometimes, you will not have to listen to sounds may be during night time. In such a case, you can set the channel to medium. The low option will not only make any sound but also display any popup on the display.
The concept of notifications channels has been introduced in the Android 8.0 Oreo using which developers will be able to create apps that can be fine-tuned by the end users. The disadvantage of this feature is that the developer should integrate the functionality into the app. The notification channels will not work with any app by default. Even though the feature can be used by end users, it’s the developer who would have to integrate the functionality.
WhatsApp is being refreshed with new features once in two months. The Facebook-owned company introduced an ability to switch between voice and video call and added YouTube PiP support on iOS app. We also saw the launch of WhatsApp Business application and demote as admin feature. There are reports that WhatsApp will launch WhatsApp Pay in February to enable users to make P2P transactions via UPI.
