When the first messaging apps hit the scene, their features were pretty basic—mostly just messaging and individual calls. Over time, these communication apps have massively expanded their capabilities. Some have even evolved into super apps, acting as gateways to a wide range of services. Even standard messaging apps now offer far more features than they did just a few years ago.
Some services have become so ingrained in our daily lives that it’s hard to imagine communicating without them. It’s surprising to think that not long ago, many of these essential features didn’t even exist, yet today, users rely on them every day.
Here’s a closer look at some of these popular features.
Video Conferencing
Video calls are now standard in most communication apps, supporting both one-on-one and group calls. However, the specifics can vary widely between apps. For instance, WhatsApp supports group calls with up to 32 participants. You can only create a call link for registered users.
In contrast, the super app Gem Space offers different terms. It supports video conferences with up to 1,000 participants simultaneously, and even unregistered users can join via a guest link. During a call, users can share presentations, screens, and moderate the conference. Plus, all these features are free. This example highlights the difference between a typical messenger and a super app, which offers a much broader range of functions.
Organizing a large video conference used to be technically challenging and required paid applications on all participants’ devices. Now, it’s much simpler and free.
Communities
Communities are a feature that’s becoming increasingly popular. Usually, communities have their own section in the app where you can create group chats on specific topics, add users, and bring people together based on shared interests. Communities are often created for work, study, or just among friends or family.
The technical functionality of this section can vary significantly between apps. In Gem Space, it’s called Spaces. Users can create themed communities and place content in special folders called collections, which can be named and organized as they see fit. Spaces offer numerous features: individual and group chats, collections, themed channels, content moderation, newsletters, and more.
In WhatsApp, community functionality mainly includes adding individual and group chats to a community.
Despite being a relatively new feature, many users have already become so accustomed to it that they prefer to organize work and even personal communication within these communities.
Information Channels and Blogs
Another new feature in communication apps is information channels and blogs. Not all apps have this feature yet. WhatsApp is still testing it, while Telegram already hosts many popular channels.
In Gem Space, the blog platform is a distinct section of the app. Users can subscribe to existing channels, which can be found through search, keywords, or recommendations on the main page of the section. To easily view updates from all subscribed channels, there’s a dedicated feed section. Here, users can see the latest updates and receive smart feed recommendations based on their interests.
For bloggers, Gem Space offers a built-in article editor where they can create posts, add images and headlines, and save drafts. Posts can be scheduled for future publication using a delayed posting service.
For many users, communication and content consumption have become inseparable. Access to news and favorite bloggers’ posts is now a must-have feature in any communication app.
These are just a few examples of new features that didn’t exist in the early versions of messaging apps but have become essential for users today.
It’s clear that messengers and super apps will keep evolving, offering users new and exciting features.
