WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app, with over 2 billion users worldwide as of 2022. The app allows users to send messages, make voice and video calls, share photos and videos, and more, all securely encrypted end-to-end. Over the years, WhatsApp has continued to add new features to enhance the messaging experience for its users. One relatively recent addition that has proven popular is the ability to create polls in group chats. But when exactly were polls added to WhatsApp?
The Origins of WhatsApp
To understand when polls were added, it helps to first know a bit about WhatsApp’s origins. WhatsApp was founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, both former employees of Yahoo. Their goal was to create a messaging app that offered end-to-end encryption, eliminating the ability for third parties to read users’ messages. This would provide greater privacy and security compared to other messaging apps at the time.
Koum and Acton launched WhatsApp in November 2009 exclusively for iPhone. The app quickly became a hit, especially internationally, for its low cost structure – only charging a minimal annual subscription fee of $1. By early 2011, WhatsApp had amassed over 1 million active users. As smartphones became more prevalent, WhatsApp eventually made its way to Android, Windows Phone, and other platforms.
WhatsApp’s Rising Popularity
WhatsApp’s user base continued to explode in the early 2010s. By 2013, the app had surpassed 300 million active users worldwide. Some of the factors driving its popularity included:
- Reliability – WhatsApp used an internet connection and worked well across slower 2G networks
- Low cost – the annual subscription fee was seen as inexpensive compared to SMS fees
- Cross-platform availability – WhatsApp was available on all major smartphone operating systems
- Group messaging – WhatsApp supported group chats with up to 256 participants
- Media sharing – Users could exchange photos, videos, and other media seamlessly
By early 2014, WhatsApp had grown to over 450 million monthly active users globally. With this massive growth, Facebook took notice and acquired WhatsApp in February 2014 for approximately $19 billion – the largest acquisition of a venture-backed startup at the time.
Addition of New Features
Under Facebook’s ownership, WhatsApp continued to thrive. More and more new features were added to the app to enhance the messaging capabilities. Some notable additions in the ensuing years included:
- Voice calls (added in early 2015)
- Video calling (added in 2016)
- Stories (added in 2018, similar to Snapchat)
- Group video and audio calls (added in 2018)
But one particularly popular feature that was still lacking was the ability to create polls in chat conversations.
Release of Polls Feature
In October 2019, WhatsApp finally rolled out a feature that allowed users to create polls within chat conversations. This enabled users to easily poll a group of people on things like where to go for dinner, when to schedule a meeting, or which movie to watch.
To create a poll, WhatsApp users type a question and then add up to 12 possible responses. They can allow multiple answers from each participant or limit it to just one. The creator of the poll and all other participants in the chat can then cast their votes and see real-time results.
The polling feature was initially limited to group chats only and allowed a maximum of 256 participants per poll. In May 2020, support was added for polls in individual chats between just two WhatsApp users.
How Polls Work in WhatsApp
Using polls in WhatsApp is straightforward:
- Open any group chat (or individual chat as of May 2020)
- Tap the attachment icon and select Poll from the menu
- Type your question and add up to 12 possible responses
- Choose whether to allow multiple answers or just one per participant
- Tap Send to post the poll in the chat
- Participants can view and vote on the poll within the chat window
- The poll creator can end the poll at any time and view the results
Here is an example of what a simple poll looks like within a WhatsApp chat:
| Poll Question | Responses |
|---|---|
| Where should we go for dinner tonight? |
|
As this shows, the poll question and responses are neatly displayed right within the chat window for easy participation.
Reception and Impact
The polling feature was quickly embraced by WhatsApp users and became one of the app’s most popular additions in recent years. It provided an easy way for groups to make casual decisions and plan get-togethers in a fun, interactive manner. Following the launch of polls, WhatsApp product manager Daniel Hernandez noted that “Deciding where to eat or which movie to watch will now be super easy.”
Some key facts about the polling feature’s reception:
- Within one year, over 1.5 billion users had voted in a poll on WhatsApp
- 90% of polls on WhatsApp had 4 responses or less, showing most were simple, casual decisions
- The most common poll length was 3-5 days, but some polls remained open for weeks
- Polls were found to foster 20% more participation in group chats
Polls generated a completely new dynamic in WhatsApp groups, stimulating more conversations. They also created a quick and convenient way for small groups to coordinate plans.
Recent Enhancements
Since introducing polls in 2019, WhatsApp has continued refining the feature with useful updates:
Additional Poll Options
In May 2020, the maximum number of poll responses was increased from 12 to 100 to allow for more comprehensive polls. Polls were also enabled for individual 1-on-1 chats.
Emoji Reactions
Participants can now react to a poll with emojis indicating their feelings, providing more expressiveness.
Private Polls
Group admins can now choose to make a poll visible only to the admin instead of to the whole group. This allows for anonymous polling if needed.
Improved Analytics
Enhanced analytics allow the poll creator to view real-time summary data on votes, as well as see who voted and what each person voted for.
Future Possibilities
While WhatsApp’s polling feature is already quite robust, there are still ways it could potentially be expanded and improved in the future:
- Allow longer poll durations such as 1 week or 1 month
- Give admins the ability to edit poll questions and responses after posting
- Let users create polls in WhatsApp Status feeds visible to their contacts
- Integrate polls with WhatsApp Business to enable businesses to survey customers
- Allow users to save poll results over time to view historical data
Given WhatsApp’s continual evolution, it is likely just a matter of time before some of these enhancements are implemented to make polls even more versatile.
Conclusion
In October 2019, WhatsApp rolled out the ability for users to create polls in group conversations – a feature that quickly became hugely popular. This provided a quick, convenient way for small groups to make casual plans and decisions. In less than a year, over 1.5 billion votes had been cast on WhatsApp polls, demonstrating the widespread adoption of the feature.
Since its launch, polls have fostered greater participation in WhatsApp group chats by making coordinating plans more engaging. The polling functionality has also steadily improved with additions like more responses, private polls, emoji reactions, and expanded analytics.
Going forward, WhatsApp will likely build upon polls to make them an even more powerful tool for group coordination and decision making. But the core functionality added back in late 2019 transformed how both small and large WhatsApp groups interact, underlining the app’s evolution from simple messaging to a fully featured social platform.