WhatsApp has announced that you can now add up to 512 people to a WhatsApp Group up from the current 256. The feature will roll out to all users soon.
The feature will be a welcome addition for large teams that use WhatsApp as a communication tool or just large communities that have been brought together for a specific purpose. The previous limit made it impossible for this type of use leading to the creation of multiple groups. The new development is still less than the 200,000 group limit available on Telegram through supergroups.
WhatsApp has also announced a series of other features. Users are now able to send files on WhatsApp of up to 2GB which is an increase from the previous limit of 100MB. The company recommends to send larger files using Wi-Fi. Users are also be able to react with six different emojis on the platform: laughing face, red heart, surprised face, thumbs up, teary face, and hands together.
WhatsApp has also introduced Communities. Communities on WhatsApp will enable people to bring together separate groups under one umbrella. Communities will also contain tools for admins, including announcement messages that are sent to everyone and control over which groups can be included. WhatsApp Community will appear as a new tab (like Status and Calls) within the app and will contain many groups, allowing admins to send announcements and updates to all participants in one go.
You can now also be able to voice call up to 32 people at a go.