WhatsApp groups are excellent for chatting with many people, but it can be hard sometimes to keep track of your conversations. It can also be a pain if you just need to send a message to certain people who are not all part of one group. Back in the day, you either had to create a new group or mess about forwarding the message to each contact.
Thankfully, WhatsApp’s broadcast feature now makes life easier; it allows you to send a message to multiple people without the hassle of creating a WhatsApp group or choosing your contacts every time. Let’s take a look.
A quick note first
Before you use the broadcast feature, please be aware that a broadcast message will appear to your recipients as an individual message from you. They will be unaware that you have sent it to others and, if anyone responds, only you will see the reply: no other recipients in your broadcast list will receive it. With that in mind, it’s better to use broadcast messages for things such as a quick invitation or reminder of that meet up. If you need to chat with each other about what’s going on, then create a WhatsApp group instead. Otherwise, read on!
How do I create a Broadcast list?
The first thing to do is create a list of contacts you wish to send your message to. With WhatsApp open on your phone, make sure you’re in the main menu section. This area displays a menu bar of CHATS, STATUS and CALLS near the top of the app. Once you’re there, tap on CHATS.
Next, tap on the three vertical dots at the top right of your screen.
From the list that appears, tap on New Broadcast.
You can now select who you want to send your message to. These people must be in your address list and you can choose to a maximum of 256 contacts. Start by tapping on each of your required contacts to add them to the list. Once selected, a small tick will show on their picture icon and they will also appear at the top of the app. If you make a mistake and choose someone you didn’t need, tap on their name again to remove them from the list.
Once you have selected all your contacts for your broadcast list, tap the green tick on the bottom right of the app.
WhatsApp will now display the message screen. Type and send your message in the usual way and all the contacts on your broadcast list will receive it.
How do I edit my Broadcast List?
You can edit the broadcast list and add or remove people as needed. You can also create a familiar name for your list. To edit, first open your existing broadcast list by tapping on it.
Once open, tap the three vertical dots at the top right of your screen.
From the list that appears, select Broadcast list info.
Removing Contacts from your broadcast list
To remove contacts from your list, tap Edit recipients in the Broadcast list info section.
You can now remove contacts by tapping on their name at the top of the app.
Adding Contacts to your broadcast list
You can also add new people. To do so, make sure you have selected Edit recipients in the Broadcast list info section. Once done, scroll through your list of contacts and tap the name of anybody you wish to add. After you have selected a contact, a tick will appear in their image icon and WhatsApp will also display them at the top of the app.
Create a familiar name for your broadcast list
To create a familiar name for your list, make sure you’re in the Broadcast list info section, and tap the pen icon shown at the top of the app.
Now type in what you would like to call your list and tap OK.
How do I delete my Broadcast List?
If you no longer need your broadcast list anymore, you can delete it completely. Please note that removing the broadcast list will also delete any messages connected with it.
First, open your existing broadcast list by tapping on it.
Once open, tap the three vertical dots at the top right of your screen.
From the list that appears, select Broadcast list info.
Now tap on Delete broadcast list.
At this point, WhatsApp will ask if you wish to delete the media shown in the chat. If you wish to keep any photos or videos, remove the tick from the box by tapping on it.
Once you’re ready to delete your broadcast list and any messages connected with it, tap Delete.
Conclusion
The broadcast feature in WhatsApp offers you the ability to send a message to multiple people without the pain of creating a group. While this can save time and effort, it’s not always ideal: your contacts will view broadcast messages like an individual message and won’t know you sent it to others on your list. If that’s what you’re looking for, then enjoy the simplicity of broadcast lists. However, if you all need to chat together, create a group instead.
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