How to Create a WhatsApp Channel

What is a WhatsApp channel?

A channel is a one-way feed inside WhatsApp. You (and any admins you add) post text, photos, videos, links, polls and voice notes; followers read them in the Updates tab and can react with emojis or vote in polls, but they cannot reply in the channel. There is no limit on followers like the 1,024-member cap on groups.

Followers' phone numbers are hidden from other followers and from you as the admin (unless they are already in your contacts), and your number is not shown to followers either. That makes a channel a safe way for a shop, school, creator or local news page to post updates to anyone who wants them.

Create a WhatsApp channel on Android

1. 1

   Open Updates

   Update WhatsApp from the Play Store, open it and tap the Updates tab at the bottom.

2. 2

   Start a new channel

   Tap the plus (+) next to Channels (or the pencil/plus button) and choose Create channel. Tap Continue on the introduction screen.

3. 3

   Add name, description and icon

   Type a channel name, an optional description that says what you post and how often, and add a picture such as your logo. You can change all three later.

4. 4

   Create and post

   Tap Create channel. The channel opens; type your first post, ideally a short welcome that explains what followers will get.

Create a WhatsApp channel on iPhone

Update WhatsApp from the App Store, tap the Updates tab, then the plus (+) next to Channels and choose Create channel. Tap Get started or Continue, enter the name, description and icon, and tap Create channel. The steps are the same in WhatsApp Business on iPhone.

On a computer, the WhatsApp desktop app and WhatsApp Web also let you create and manage channels from the Channels section, which is handy for writing longer posts.

Create a channel from WhatsApp Business

The WhatsApp Business app has the same Updates tab and the same Create channel button. Business owners often make the channel under the business name and logo so it matches the business profile, and add the channel link to the profile, website and printed material.

A verified badge (the blue tick) on a channel is not automatic. It is linked to Meta Verified, a paid subscription available to some businesses, and is not required to run a channel.

Who can create a WhatsApp channel?

• Anyone with a WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business account on an up-to-date app, in places where channels are available (including India). There is no follower or business-size requirement and no fee.

• If you do not see Create channel, update the app first. WhatsApp sometimes rolls out features in stages.

• Channels must follow WhatsApp's Channels guidelines: no scams, adult content, hate, misleading health claims or spam. Channels that break them can be suspended.

• Turn on two-step verification (Settings, Account) before you build a following, so nobody can take over the account and the channel.

Share your channel link and get followers

Open the channel, tap its name, and use Share (or Copy link / Forward link). The link looks like https://whatsapp.com/channel/ followed by a code. Anyone who taps it can follow, and they do not need your number saved.

• Put the link in your WhatsApp Business profile, Instagram bio, Google Business Profile, website and email signature.

• Turn it into a QR code for your shop counter, bills, packaging and posters.

• Mention it in your status, and ask happy customers to forward it.

• Send the link once, privately, to customers and contacts who already know you, with a line on what they will get, for example "Follow for weekly offers and new arrivals. No spam, one post a day at most."

• Followers find channels in the Updates tab's directory too, so a clear name and description help people discover you.

Posting tips for businesses

• Post on a predictable rhythm (daily offers, a weekly roundup) rather than in bursts. Too many posts get you muted.

• Lead with the useful part: the offer, the date, the price. Followers see a short preview first.

• Use photos and short videos; they get far more reactions than plain text.

• Use polls to ask what customers want ("Which colour should we restock?"). It is the main way followers can respond.

• Add a clear next step with a link: your catalogue, a wa.me chat link, or a booking page, because followers cannot reply in the channel.

• Add a second admin so the channel keeps running when you are busy, and check channel insights for follower growth.

Channel vs broadcast list vs group

• Channel: one-way, unlimited followers who choose to follow by link, numbers private, no replies. Best for public updates and offers.

• Broadcast list: your message lands in each person's private chat and they can reply to you, up to 256 contacts per list, and only people who saved your number receive it. Best for regular customers.

• Group: everyone talks to everyone and sees each other's numbers, up to 1,024 members. Best for teams, families and class parents.

• The downside of a channel is reach: posts sit in the Updates tab, not in the main chat list, and many followers keep channel notifications muted, so they are easy to miss. For something each person must see, a private message works better.

When each person must see it: a private message with their name

Use your channel for regular updates, and send the important things privately: a fee reminder, an event invitation, a festival greeting to your best customers, or the first message inviting them to follow your channel. Rapid Sender is a free browser tool for WhatsApp that does this from your own WhatsApp, one private chat per contact.

1. 5

   Upload your list

   Upload an Excel or CSV of up to 5,000 contacts, or paste numbers. They do not need to be saved in your phone.

2. 6

   Link WhatsApp

   On your phone go to WhatsApp, Linked devices, Link a device and scan the QR code shown in your browser, or use the pairing code.

3. 7

   Write it once with {{name}}

   For example: "Hi {{name}}, we now post our weekly offers on our WhatsApp channel. Follow here: (your channel link)". Attach a photo or PDF if you like.

4. 8

   Test and send

   Send a test to yourself, then send. There is a short random pause between messages and a live report of who received it. Only message people who know you.

Frequently asked questions