Which two countries first received WhatsApp Channels in June 2023?

WhatsApp Channels first reached users in Colombia and Singapore in June 2023. WhatsApp chose these two markets for an initial rollout with selected organizations and public voices before expanding the feature elsewhere.

Channels were designed as one-way broadcast feeds inside WhatsApp. Administrators could send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls, while followers could receive updates without joining a conventional group chat. The feature appeared in a new Updates tab alongside Status.

A common mix-up is confusing the first rollout countries with the next expansion. In July 2023, WhatsApp added Egypt, Chile, Malaysia, Morocco, Ukraine, Kenya, and Peru. It then expanded Channels to more than 150 countries in September 2023.

Another notable distinction is privacy: following a Channel did not reveal a follower’s phone number to the administrator or other followers. Channel updates were also not end-to-end encrypted by default, reflecting their broad broadcast purpose.