New WhatsApp poll feature may prove useful for getting a decision

By Nilanjan Dey

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp will now allow users to create polls. This is a response from the company to user demand as earlier people could not just make pools in the platform and to do something like this, users either had to use external polling links or individually count the reactions to messages regarding the polling question. 

External polls, which need users to register on a polling website and get everyone to click the link, are a time-consuming process. The message reaction system was quite rudimentary and prevented you from seeing who provided which responses.

This feature works best in group chats where it can help users make quick decisions and aid them in quickly getting mass answers from a big group of people.

So, how to create a poll in WhatsApp?

• iPhone users should tap the + sign adjacent to the text box in a WhatsApp chat. Android users should tap the paper clip button adjacent to the text box in a WhatsApp chat.
• They can then tap on Poll.
• Users can ask the chat room participants a question by typing it in.
• In the Options boxes, users can type their response options.
• Holding down the three bars icon to the right while dragging an option will allow you to move it to the desired location. Once the user is satisfied with the position, they let go of the finger.
• Users can tap on send once they are sure they are finished.
• After the poll is posted, users can see the poll in the chat, and can now vote for the options presented. It is important to note that users can vote for multiple options.
• To view the votes cast, users can tap on the view votes tab just beneath the poll.