WIREDGOV

Government launches new Whatsapp Channel to provide helpful opt-in information to the public.

• New WhatsApp Channel will communicate important information directly to people’s phones.
• System is entirely opt-in and will amplify key messages like information on childcare support and cost of living payments. 
• Town crier announces launch of new communication channel outside Parliament.

The Government has launched a new account on WhatsApp Channels, allowing members of the public to subscribe to receive important updates to their phones.

WhatsApp Channels are used by a range of organisations, from news sites to football clubs and increasingly by Governments - providing single message alerts or updates to anyone subscribed to them. 

WhatsApp makes it clear that the channels are one-way only and users can opt in or out at any time. 

Cabinet Office Minister Alex Burghart yesterday said:

We are always looking for new ways to communicate with the public. WhatsApp is a hugely popular platform in the UK so we hope our new and entirely opt-in WhatsApp channel will be a useful way of providing people with updates from the government. We’re looking forward to seeing how people respond to this service and will develop it over time based on users’ feedback.

Helen Charles, Director of Public Policy, WhatsApp at Meta, Europe yesterday said:

We’re pleased that the UK Government is using WhatsApp Channels to give people in the UK better access to reliable information through the most private broadcast service available.

As a trusted, verified account the UK Government channel will focus on reiterating important information which is relevant directly to the public in areas like updating on public services, news updates that affect a large part of the population or pointing to new guidance and public resources. 

Like any new communications method being used by Government - the UK Government channel will be continuously reviewed to ensure that it is being used effectively to provide  timely and relevant information. Users can expect to regular updates from across government on a weekly basis.

As of today followers of the UK Government WhatsApp channel will be notified that they can get discounted rail tickets from the Great British Rail Sale 

Examples of other UK Government channel posts include:

• Reiterating public health advice like announcing winter flu jabs
• Deadline reminders like self-assessment tax return deadlines
• New information on extra support the public can receive, like cost of living payments and government-linked discounts and other benefits 
• Childcare support updates

The Government will also use the channel to share trusted and essential information from partner organisations like UK Health Security and Public Health England health alerts.

The channel will be a publicly run information service, similar to gov.uk or official government social media accounts. It will not be used for political or campaign purposes and will be managed by government officials. 

 Anyone with a WhatsApp account can follow the new UK Government WhatsApp channel by searching for ‘UK Government’ in the ‘Updates’ section of the app and choosing to follow the account.  

The channel is entirely separate from the national emergency alerts system, which was tested in 2023 and which provides alerts only when there is a direct risk to life. Unlike emergency alerts, users must opt-in via WhatsApp to subscribe to the Government WhatsApp channel. 

Critical information and updates will always be published to gov.uk – the UK Government’s official website, in the usual way, and the WhatsApp channel will help amplify information to those who opt in. The channel is intended to help reach more members of the public who might not otherwise receive Government updates. 

To mark the launch of this new channel of communication, town crier Alan Myatt made a public announcement outside Parliament. The video of this can be found here: https://youtube.com/shorts/a6tBIBsD0eQ

You can subscribe to the UK Government WhatsApp Channel here: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaGDHQ6GpLHKEdlUt03L