Slack launches private channels for temporary private group chats

Team messaging app Slack is launching new feature on group chat. The new feature makes a user in a group to be able to break into a private discussion with up to eight people, nine including the user.

The private group conversation will persist in the list of Direct Messages and the users can return to that group or hide the conversations at any time.

The messages on the group Direct Messages will show up in user's searches and it will come up in the Quick Switcher when a user searches for names.

The users can use the new feature to discuss short-term matters directly with other team members through Direct Messages.

Group Direct Messages will cover many of the use cases that previously required private groups, according to Slack's official blog. The messaging app has transformed private groups into private channels.

The private channels will be shown with existing open channels alphabetically, with small lock icons next to the private ones. When the users wan to create a new channel, they will find a new public/private toggle on the configuration screen.

With the new feature, when the users try to loop in more than eight other users in a new group Direct Messages, they will be prompted to 'create a private channel instead'.

Although the private channel is not a huge update but, according to VentureBeat, the group Direct Messages offer a more temporary experience while the new dedicated private channels for lots of people feel more permanent.

Since its launched in February 2014, Slack become one of the fastest growing business applications in history. On August, more than 1.25 million people from companies use this app for the team messaging.

The number rose to 1.7 million daily active users this month, and it is nearly 55% of growth. Roughly 5,000 new active users have been added each day.

Earlier this week, the company reached a new milestone as one million users were being signed into the service at the same exact time.

The company's revenue is growing even faster. Slack announced its adding $1 million in new contracts every 11 days.

The business messaging app, as Business Insider reports, has reached a valuation of $2.8 billion, and it is showing no signs of slowing down.

The company has received $340 million in funding from venture capital firms such as Andreessen Horowitz, and Google Ventures.

The companies that use Slack for its enterprise messaging app include the Los Angeles Times, Comcast, NBCUniversal, Expedia, eBay, and even NASA.