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Watchers

World Clap Day: Building a 30K-User Global Community | Watcher

How the Watchers social solution performed during the World Cup 2026: The results and main insights

BetBoom Case: Community chat with interactive tools and embedded live streaming 

Watchers and VirtualSoft: Community chats to engage users during sports events

FC App: Social layer to engage football fans

Livey: Community chats for pay-per-view live streaming platform

In-App Community: How to Build and Manage One Inside Your App

World Cup Fan Engagement: Watchers Client Insights

Watchers for Impact | Pro bono initiative allowing companies and projects to get free community-building tools 

Watchers Summer 2026: World Cup Results & Product Updates

In-App Messaging Security: A Complete Guide

5 Engagement Mechanics Every App Should Use in 2025


We asked our sports clients about their experience with the social layer during the World Cup—how they used it, how it affected the user experience and shaped the user engagement, and what insights they got from the community chats.

See how Totogaming and VirtualSoft used Watchers’ social layer during the World Cup to drive real-time fan conversations, community, and engagement.

What surprised you most about users’ talks and behaviour?&nbsp;What surprised us most was how naturally the conversations went beyond football. Users discussed the matches and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/watchers-social-solutions-for-the-world-cup-2026">the latest World Cup news</a>, but they also talked about random, everyday topics, shared jokes, and simply had fun together. It was also great to see how such a major event brought people together through their shared passion for football, creating a real sense of community throughout the tournament.(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)&nbsp;What surprised me the most was how passionate users are during games. In Ecuador, for example, conversations would change completely depending on what was happening on the field. A goal, a VAR decision, or a big save would generate dozens of messages in just a few minutes. I also noticed that they really enjoy humor and banter among fans, even when they support different national teams. That made the talks feel very natural and entertaining.&nbsp;(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft)&nbsp;What did you learn about your audience during the tournament?&nbsp;We learned that major events like the World Cup naturally encourage people to share their opinions and become part of the conversation and the community, rather than simply following the event. Users were eager to express their views, whether by sharing betting tips, discussing other users’ bets, or debating refereeing decisions and key moments from the matches.&nbsp;(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)&nbsp;We learned that users respond much better to natural, timely messages than to communications focused solely on promotions. They appreciate it when the brand interacts like just another fan—asking questions, commenting on what’s happening in the game, and inviting them to join the conversation. We also observed that when the chat generated real-time interaction and users felt like part of a community, the level of engagement increased significantly.&nbsp;(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft)&nbsp;<blockquote><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">They really enjoy humor and banter among fans, even when they support different national teams. That made the talks feel very natural and entertaining.&nbsp;</blockquote>Did chat communications influence any of your decisions?&nbsp;Following the conversations closely gave us a better understanding of what catches our users’ attention, and we saw it as an opportunity to get closer to them. It also helped us identify areas where the chat experience could be improved, and based on what we observed, we shared some of our own suggestions with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/about">Watchers team</a>.&nbsp;(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)&nbsp;Yes. As the tournament progressed, we adjusted the tone of the promotional messages. We found that short tag lines—referencing what was happening in the match and asking questions to spark conversation—worked much better than long or overly promotional messages. That helped us maintain an active community.&nbsp;(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft)&nbsp;What engagement features did you like the most?&nbsp;We really liked the introduction of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/fan-clubs">fan clubs </a>and the changes made to the poll formats during the World Cup. For the next big tournament, we would love to see these concepts developed even further, along with the badges feature, which we already used during the World Cup. Any insights you would like to share <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/totogaming-chats-for-sports-book">TotoChat</a> gave us a much more direct and informal way to communicate with our users. It allowed us to keep them updated on our latest promotions and introduce new things happening on our platform. During this period, we also launched our new app, which generated a lot of excitement and interest among our users. One important takeaway for us is that content created specifically for a major tournament can make a real difference. Small details, such as adapting the experience to what is happening at that moment, make the chat feel more relevant and give users more reasons to participate.&nbsp;(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)&nbsp;<blockquote>It showed us how well the chat can complement the experience of following a major sporting event.</blockquote>This tournament showed that users want to experience the game together with others. Beyond promotions, they value being able to comment on plays, debate, joke around, and share their emotions with other fans in real time. That interaction is what really brings the chat to life and makes it a unique selling point for the brand. Furthermore, it became clear that the chat has the potential to be much more than just a communication channel: when conversations are natural, timely, and aligned with what’s happening in the game, it strengthens the sense of community and generates much greater engagement. Without a doubt, there’s still a great opportunity to continue evolving the tool and offer an increasingly interactive experience during sporting events.&nbsp;(Pablo Botero, Commercial Services Analyst at VirtualSoft)&nbsp;Bright moments, events, or anything else you would like to share or highlight&nbsp;The World Cup was definitely one of the strongest periods for TotoChat in terms of activity, including shared and copied bets and poll responses. One of the highlights for us was seeing how quickly users reacted to everything happening during the tournament, turning important matches, unexpected results, and controversial moments into active discussions. It showed us how well the chat can complement the experience of following a major sporting event.&nbsp;(Bianca Andrea Floarea, Community Content Manager at Totogaming)***Looking to bring real-time community engagement to your platform? Whether you're building any sports platforms, media product, or football app, Watchers' community solutions help turn live events into conversations that keep users engaged before, during, and after events.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-09">Get in touch</a> with our team to explore the best solution for your website or app: we'll find the best social solution tailored to your audience and business goals.<figure class="image"><a href="https://watchers.io/world-cup-2026-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/605;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/54da5280-1369-41b6-9504-1670a802d496.jpeg" width="1500" height="605"></a></figure>

We've launched Watchers for Impact, a pro bono initiative offering selected organisations 12 months of free community-building tools and support. Each month we will choose a project or organisation and help them build communities to achieve their mission.

Watchers launches Watchers for Impact, a pro bono initiative giving selected organisations 12 months of free community-building tools and support.


We’re launching Watchers for Impact — our new pro bono initiative for organisations and projects creating positive social, environmental, or community impact.&nbsp;Every month, we’ll select one organisation to receive 12 months of free access to an agreed set of Watchers <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">community-building tools</a> and services. We’ll also provide onboarding, implementation help, ongoing product and technical support, and visibility through our communication channels.&nbsp;We created <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/watchers-for-impact">Watchers for Impact </a>because we believe communities doing meaningful work should have access to great technology, too. The programme is open to nonprofits, charities, NGOs, foundations, associations, social enterprises, mission-driven companies, and independent projects of any size. You might be an international nonprofit, a small animal shelter, a volunteer group, a feminist or environmental initiative, a social-impact startup, or a team bringing people together around something that matters.&nbsp;If you already have a community — or you’re building one — and want to give people a place to connect directly on your own website or app, we’d love to hear from you. Applications are now open, and we’ll review them monthly.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/watchers-for-impact">Read more about the programme and apply</a>In press:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.londondaily.news/uk-tech-company-launches-free-initiative-to-help-organisations-build-owned-communities-on-their-sites-and-apps/">London Daily News</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.expoknews.com/watchers-iniciativa-pro-bono-para-organizaciones-y-empresas-de-impacto">ExpokNews</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.emerce.nl/wire/brits-technologiebedrijf-lanceert-gratis-initiatief-om-organisaties-helpen-eigen-communities-hun-websites-apps-bouwen">Emerce</a>

See Watchers’ summer results: the World Cup engagement insights, new social features, and what’s coming next.

Explore how Watchers powered fan engagement during Summer 2026, from 795 World Cup match rooms and 7× DAU growth to new AI and social features.

This summer for Watchers wasn’t relaxing but fruitful. It started with a huge spike at the Champions League Final <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/arsenal-fans-vs-psg-fans">(read how fans prepared for the game,</a> by the way!). Soon after, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/world-cup-2026-format">one of the most expanded World Cups began.</a> During the tournament, we developed our product, launched new features, supported new partners, and visited conferences and expos worldwide. Check out Watchers summer results and what we've prepared for autumn.<h2>Numbers</h2>From June 11 to July 19, 2026, Watchers powered 795 match rooms for 31 sports brands across four regions, bringing a live social layer —match chats, copy-widgets, and AI moderation—to the biggest World Cup in history.Compared with each brand’s regular club-season baseline from April 1 to June 10, the tournament created a significant engagement boost. For the most active brands, in-chat DAU grew by as much as 7× during the World Cup.The effect was more than just activity. Watchers’ social features helped increase the lifetime value (LTV) by about 10–15%. The copy-widget showed a strong community spirit: the top 5% of sharers created one-third of all copies. In other words, recognised tipsters in the community.Beyond football, World Clap Day chats became worldwide and lively. About 50% of monthly active users sent messages in chat, instead of just reading or reacting. This is much higher than the usual rate, where 20–25% of users actively join conversations.<h2>Cases</h2><h3>The FIFA World Cup</h3>The FIFA World Cup was the overall case for all our sports clients: this tournament was supported everywhere, so we needed to guarantee that all clusters would be prepared for every spike. And spikes happened not just during the most trendy teams' games, but all the time, with various nationals. Thus, the spike for our Latin America clients was higher for Mexico vs South Africa than for the Spain vs Argentina final. We also prepared semantic analysis for all chat rooms during the World Cup and found that most of the conversation can be qualified as high-quality and meaningful–people discussed football, predictions, and their actions on the host platform.Read <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/watchers-social-solutions-for-the-world-cup-2026">the case study </a>and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/world-cup-2026-report">download the report with the results</a><figure class="image"><a href="https://watchers.io/world-cup-2026-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/990;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/3987c371-6849-4665-bf00-1d6d8a21faad.jpeg" alt="world cup results report - how viewers and fans were engaged" width="1500" height="990"></a></figure><h3>World Clap Day</h3>World Clap Day, a simple idea that brought together tens of thousands of people worldwide, could have spread through social networks. But we helped the project bring interested people to the website using our built-in social features. As a result, 35 thousand unique users from over 100 countries chatted, sending hundreds of thousands of messages.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/world-clap-day">Read the case study</a><h2>New Features</h2><ul><li>Fan clubs <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/fan-clubs">were released right before the World Cup</a> to help our sports clients’ users showcase dedication to the national team and, if activated, communicate not just in a common chat but in their favourite team chats. We can say that fan clubs are one of users’ favourite features: during games, almost no users were in chat without a club icon.</li></ul><figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/807;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/0bf62f6e-470d-4db6-9ad4-6366112733d6.jpeg" width="1500" height="807"></figure><ul><li>Moderation dashboard: we added a detailed dashboard that allows clients to check everything happening at the moderation level in chats and follow monthly moderation metrics. It distinguishes moderation on all four levels and shows what happened on each: how many users started a report and how many sent it, the main reasons the AI system hides messages automatically, and more.</li><li>Simplified interface: users can choose between a regular and simplified chat interface. When activated, they can switch modes and see the chat like on Twitch.</li><li>Promo code detection tool: if you allow users to share and exchange promo codes, you can activate a tool for this. When activated, promo codes are highlighted in chat and can be activated through an embedded link.</li><li>Support bots: we’ve launched a beta version of the support bot for the listed clients. This bot can assist users in chats and resolve questions based on the knowledge base provided by a client.</li><li>AI-generated polls: polls generated automatically based on updates in specific sports events keep users engaged in chats throughout the game. The feature is launched in a beta version.</li></ul><h3>New product—standalone AI sports assistant</h3>In June, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/ai-sports-assistant-launch">we launched our AI sports assistant</a> as a new standalone product. If platforms are not ready for internal community building or already have a social layer, they can still launch our AI sports assistant and retain sports fans on their services. Visit the AI sports assistant page or read about it<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.watchathletics.com/page/7454/ai-sports-assistant-for-a-sports-app-matchday-chat-instant-stats-and-fan-q-a-in-one-place"> in media.</a><h2>Next steps​</h2>In September, we will launch the social profile. Social power will help you grow metrics more than ever, and your users will stay on your platform longer than on social media. Follow the updates!On 1 September, we launch our pro bono program Watchers for Impact. If you run a non-profit project or uniting initiative, apply! Every month, we choose one project to give them the opportunity to use our services for 12 months for free. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/watchers-for-impact">Explore and apply!</a><figure class="image"><a href="https://watchers.io/watchers-for-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/844;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/6ae4b32c-d6c7-4df3-bdbc-8f3de1b78c6e.jpeg" width="1500" height="844"></a></figure><h3>SBC Lisbon</h3>SBC Summit in Lisbon is our next destination. If you will be there too, connect with us and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/d/d3x8-w8x-nk6/meet-watchers-at-sbc-lisbon">book a meeting</a>!

Everybody knows about gamification and community-building, but what are the most useful hints to use them in 2026?

Boost retention with 5 proven engagement mechanics: first-action rewards, streak protection, social proof, pure fun, and trust-based moderation.

We write and talk a lot about engagement, considering that this term is quite vague and unclear on the one hand but crucially important on the other. It shouldn’t be a metric that has its own independent life with no correlation with the service or platform design. It should be strongly connected with content strategy, UX, onboarding, and trust-building to work for your product.Here are five engagement mechanics worth paying attention to that you can implement into your strategy right now.<h2>1. Reward starting with the first action</h2>Often, platforms start to build a gamification system toward a big payoff — a milestone at day 30, a badge after ten sessions. The data shows that users who complete an <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/achievements">achievement</a> on their very first day retain at roughly 33% after 30 days, compared to about 20% for users who don't get an early win. The gap is produced by one early interaction landing at the right moment.Academic research shows that achievements influence various types of gamified users. Authors of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958826000564">paper </a>“Trophies, achievements, and badges: Explaining differences in gamification motivation using self-determination theory and hexad player-type” shared that not only the dominant player type (Achiever) expressed high motivation to get badges, but also other, more independent, types of players, Philanthropist and Free Spirit, expressed the same.What should you do? Audit the onboarding for the first meaningful action a user can complete, and make sure that they get awarded immediately.A badge after a completed step, or any other visible marker of progress, changes user attitude. The report, dedicated to banking apps, provided by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.deloitte.com/ce/en/industries/financial-services/research/digital-banking-maturity-2024.html">Deloitte</a>, proved that bank apps with gamification elements had half higher 90-day retention. The mechanism works perfectly when visible progress is available for users from the early stages.<h2>2. Protect the results</h2>How long is your streak on Duolingo? This question is very popular not just because everybody is using the app to learn words with the green owl, but because the app provides user-friendly tools to achieve results in it. They don’t just count your streak and give you funny pictures when it grows, but also protect your streak from bad or lazy days.Streaks are built on the fear of losing them, but if an app doesn't show empathy for users’ circumstances or even just a wish to have a day of digital detox, the streak won’t be long. Quitting the app after one missed day is not a problem because the app did nothing to protect it. A grace period may change this app's approach without weakening the mechanic, which works better when users don't lose everything built just because of one lazy or tough day.<h2>3. Let users act socially</h2>Many apps showcase passive social proof, like stars, reviews, ratings, etc. A much more effective strategy is allowing users to act the same way as other users did: repeat a workout a friend completed, join a binge-watching challenge, follow someone else’s stock-trading strategy, copy a decision or transaction with one click. This works for various digital experiences: users can follow financial strategies, or can just buy the same shampoo as other users in one click.Why does it matter? Social proof, like ratings or reviews, speaks to users about trust, whereas actionable social proof works with conversion and influences revenue directly. It <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/copy-widgets">turns someone else's transaction into a new customer's next action</a>, with an explicit connection. Apps in fintech, fitness, and commerce can see real revenue growth after adding a "do what they did" mechanic in the scope of their existing social features.<h2>4. Drive pure engagement</h2>Sounds a bit controversial because we started with the goal of defining engagement clearly. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.zendesk.es/blog/employee-service/hrsm/employee-engagement-ideas/#georedirect">Generic engagement</a> is just entertainment and fun for users, like polls automatically generated based on the content users are engaged in at the moment, stickers, emotes, animated reactions during the process of video consumption or gaming, reactions to other users' messages or actions. Why does it matter? Because users tend to seek to be entertained. If they have fun, they will return; if they are bored, they will find another app where, beyond the main activity, they will find something pleasant and additional.If these engagement practices are also connected with storytelling and produce the narrative, it works much better and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/how-to-retain-customers">gets customers emotionally invested. </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://online.hbs.edu/courses/digital-marketing-strategy">Many community and marketing strategies</a> today rely on AI to build a sustainable narrative for meaningful engagement that works.<h2>5. Use trust as a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">retention</a> mechanic</h2>We wrote a lot about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">community building</a> as a retention strategy, and a serious part of this process is building trust inside the community. When we talk about <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/ai-content-moderation">moderation</a>, we actually discuss both engagement and retention. How come? Users won’t be engaged if they don’t feel that they are in a trusted and secure space; if they are not engaged, they won’t return. Above, we mentioned how the first-day award influences 30-day and 90-day retention. You can lose these achieved results with the correctly built gamification strategy if you don’t build moderation systems that protect your audience.<h2>The pattern across all five</h2>All recommendations above give a user a reason to act at a specific moment and stay after the actions are ]performed. Engagement strategies should be created not to boost engagement endlessly but to boost it at the correct moment when users want to be engaged.<h2>Frequently asked questions</h2><h3>What is the most effective first step for improving app engagement?</h3>Reward users for completing the first meaningful action. Recent data shows that users who earn an achievement on the first day retain at roughly 33% after 30 days, compared to 20% for those who didn’t get any gamified elements on their first day.<h3>How does streak protection improve retention?</h3>Streaks motivate users through fear of losing progress, but one missed day often causes users to quit entirely. Adding a grace period (like Duolingo does) protects the streak mechanic, so users don't leave the app after a single lazy or busy day.<h3>What is "actionable social proof" and how is it different from reviews or ratings?</h3>Actionable social proof lets users repeat actions other users performed. It can be copying a workout, following a trading strategy, or one-click buying a product someone has just bought. It works as a direct conversion path.

Our clients could use our AI assistants just as a part of the chat package. Now, if you are ready for having an AI Sports Assistant but not ready for building an internal community, it’s fine—you can integrate it separately.

AI Sports Assistant for media, broadcasting, fantasy sports, and leagues. Deliver live stats, results, standings, and trivia without users leaving your platform.

AI Sports Assistant for Sports Platforms, Media & Fantasy Apps | Watchers

AI sports assistants can provide any sports-related information to users: stats about tournaments, athletes, or teams, any trivia or results. So, your users who are always sick of such information during games, will be able to get this known right on your broadcasting, media, fantasy games, or any other sports platform. ​The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/50762-how-age-and-fan-preferences-shape-sports-media-consumption">YouGov research</a> of sports fans' habits shows that most of them seek statistics while watching games. It can be real-time stats, league or tournament standings, historical stats, and contextualised season stats. All of these occupy the top 5 besides the live interview of the athletes. Fewer viewers prefer to explore predictions or avoid any kind of info.If you integrate <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/community-chats">Watchers chats</a>, an AI Sports Assistant can be just activated in it, and users will be able to communicate with it publicly or privately. If you integrate it as a standalone product, users will apply for an AI assistant by clicking the bubble or button, and communicate with it with no other people around. For both cases, the whole feature is customisable and can be managed through the admin panel.Besides solving the problem with users leaving your platform, and growing <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">customer retention</a>, this makes your platform more innovative and more attractive for users. The audience <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dstny.com/blog/app-fatigue">is tired </a>from gathering various platforms and services, all to perform just one task or meet just one need.AI Sports Assistant, as well as community chats, allows people to have everything that they need right here right now, with the high level of discoverability and convenient UX.*<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/ai-sports-assistant">Learn more about an AI sports assistant and book a demo to try</a> &nbsp;

We’ve released a new feature for the clients—fan clubs, which allows them to grow retention and user loyalty and they especially relevant during big events, like, for instance, the World Cup 2026™


Increase user retention and community engagement with Fan Clubs. Let users showcase their loyalty, join dedicated chats, and connect with fellow supporters during events like World Cup 2026 and beyond.

Fan Clubs Feature: Boost User Loyalty and Community Engagement

We've released a new feature for our clients: fan clubs, created to increase user retention, loyalty, and add more engaging in-chat community experiences. The feature is especially useful during major sporting tournaments such as the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/world-cup-2026-format">FIFA World Cup™ 2026,</a> continental championships, leagues, and other large-scale competitions that inspire strong fan engagement. But you can use it not just for sports.The idea is simple. When users cheer for a team, they want to express this dedication and stand out within the community. Once created, fan clubs allow users to choose the one they support. Once selected, the club's icon or badge appears next to the user's avatar in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/community-chats">community chats</a>, making their support visible to all. It is also possible to make fan Clubs include dedicated chats in addition to the main community chat. This allows users to decide whether they want to participate in discussions with all users of the platform or connect just with mate supporters who share the passion with the same club.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/846;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/bb09c02d-c7b4-4c76-bec1-660aa0d08688.jpeg" alt="Engagement feature in a community chat" width="1500" height="846"></figure><h2>Fan Clubs Increase Engagement</h2>The feature adds a sense of identity and belonging to the community at the same time. By allowing users to publicly display their support, platforms can create stronger emotional connections and encourage more active participation. In short, grow brand loyalty and user retention.Some common use cases include:* Supporting national teams during international tournaments such as the World Cup 2026.* Creating fan groups for football clubs, esports teams, or sports leagues.* Allowing players to choose factions, races, guilds, or teams in gaming communities.* Organising communities around content creators, streamers, influencers, or entertainment brands.* Creating interest-based groups within general-purpose community platforms.<h2>Flexible Configuration for Different Community Types</h2>While Fan Clubs are obviously fit for sports-related platforms, they can be used for platforms in various industries and community formats. A community chat linked to one specific video game can definitely give the basis for various club creations if people play on different sides. The same is relevant for hobbies, countries of origin, cities of living, or reputable artists.The exact implementation depends on the platform’s content, audience interests, and engagement goals, giving the flexibility to create experiences that resonate with a specific type of user.Fan Clubs are now available and can be set up to match the objectives of your community. Check them out!***<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://chatadmin.watchers.io/login">Try community chats and other functionality, including fan clubs, for free.</a>

Explore the new 2026 World Cup™ format, including 48 teams, 12 groups, and learn how these changes affect the fan experience.

Explore the new 2026 World Cup format, including 48 teams, 12 groups, and the Round of 32, and learn how the expanded tournament could affect fan experience and engagement.


World Cup 2026 Format Explained: What Changes for Fans

Many countries have official broadcasters and media covering the tournaments and everything around football this summer. These platforms can grow user loyalty and increase metrics significantly. However, their challenge comes after the World Cup™ ends and fans leave. To keep them on the platform and grow retention, turn them into your audience, not just the World Cup™ audience. You need to create community environments that offer a unique experience and let users feel part of something bigger, sharing emotions, cheering, excitement, and disappointments.<h2>How the 2026 World Cup™ Format Could Change Fan Experience</h2>Since this year, the main global football tournament has adopted a new expanded format: more games, more countries, higher speed. This influences not just the leagues—it changes the interactions between athletes, the sports industry, audiences, and football fans. People are no longer able to watch all the games of the tournament, even if they are the most loyal fans or experts. They need to seek out information and community more actively to keep the context.But not just that: more countries mean more fans. And because many national teams don’t have much experience in participation, their fans have little knowledge about the tournament, but they have their own habits and traditions of supporting their teams, so it is an opportunity for the sports industry to attract new national fans with their various cultures into the game. The 2026 World Cup™ Format ExplainedWith the expansion to 48 teams and a multi-country host format, the FIFA World Cup 2026™ marks a turning point for international football, becoming broader in participation, more diverse in reach, and more connected to audiences worldwide—ultimately evolving into a more inclusive global platform.<h3>48 Teams, 12 Groups, 104 Matches</h3>Once again: the World Cup 2026™ introduces a major structural change, almost a revolution, expanding to 48 teams divided into 12 groups and increasing the total number of matches to 104.&nbsp;This new format gives more nations the opportunity to compete on the world stage, while also extending the tournament’s duration. At the same time, it reshapes the competitive dynamics, with a revised group stage and knockout pathway which maintains fans’ excitement for longer.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1200;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/4bab2824-af7d-41a7-b46d-173ed8560da4.jpeg" alt="World cup 2026 group stage" width="1500" height="1200"><figcaption>Group stage scheme (from Roadtrips.com)</figcaption></figure>Of course, more countries mean more teams, more traditions, stories, languages, fan bases, and even anecdotes. For instance, the 48th place in the tournament graph went to the Qatar national team, which <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/2026-world-cup-power-rankings-alexi-lalas">obtains</a> "the worst Elo ranking." &nbsp;However, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.espn.co.uk/football/story/_/id/48361967/2026-world-cup-squads-ranked-all-48-national-teams-win-tournament">as ESPN notices</a>, there has been one even worse team than Qatar—Togo in 2006. But at the same time, Togo had Emmanuel Adebayor, the active Arsenal player, when Qatar's best player is Akram Afif, who is playing for Al Sadd SC. Among teams which are placed on the lowest numbers, you can find Curaçao (47), Cape Verde (46); we can see on the list Iraq in 44th place and Haiti in 42nd. The 39th and 38th places went to Jordan and Iran, respectively. Curious, that if Iran finishes second in their group and the United States does the same, they will play each other in the round of 32. Climbing higher on the table, we see more expected teams, but we all should remember—we love football because sometimes (not often, but still) it surprises us. So, let’s hope to be surprised this summer!<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/sports-industry-trends">Read more about the main sports industry trends 2026</a>The group stage this year is structured in a way that each team plays three matches within its group, facing every other team once. At the end of this stage, the top two teams from each of the 12 groups automatically join the knockout rounds. They are joined by the eight best-performing third-placed teams, creating a 32-team playoff, ensuring broader chances of progression across the tournament.&nbsp;The introduction of a new—the 32nd round—adds an additional knockout stage at the start of the playoffs, also expanding the elimination phase. This increases the total number of high-stakes games, widens the tournament’s duration and gives fans more extreme win-or-go-home moments.<h2>Time and nerve saving</h2>At the 140th Annual General Meeting (AGM), the International Football Association Board (IFAB) introduced a package of measures aimed at increasing match tempo and reducing time-wasting. The reasoning becomes clear to anyone who has watched a game where a winning team deliberately slows play to protect the score. While these measures may seem like an attempt to optimise time for broadcasting or advertising, they in fact help ensure fairer play and allow both teams to make full use of the time available. The measures include:&nbsp;<ul><li>substitutions must take no more than 10 seconds;</li><li>a five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks;</li><li>injured players must leave the field for at least one minute.</li></ul>Another set of changes concerns VAR. Previously, it was used only for four scenarios: goals, penalty decisions, direct red cards, and cases of mistaken identity. Now, referees can also use VAR in additional situations, including red cards resulting from a clearly incorrect second yellow card, cases of mistaken identity where the wrong player is penalised, and clearly incorrect corner-kick decisions.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1136;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/818051ee-2c31-4111-a697-0598f2aa5a54.jpeg" alt="Playoff World Cup 2026 scheme with dates" width="1500" height="1136"><figcaption>Playoff scheme (from Roadtrip.com)</figcaption></figure><h2>Football fan base population</h2><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://emw-global.com/insight/fifa-world-cup-2026-report/">According to the EMW Report</a>, football audiences are mostly presented by millennials, followed by Gen X. Younger fans (13–34) are also present and especially active while fueling engagement through digital platforms, discussions, and merchandise consumption.At the same time, sports media consumption in North America (which is especially important for this year) is changing. Streaming has become as important as traditional linear TV, with a majority of fans, especially younger ones, watching live sports on subscription platforms. At the same time, this leads to consumption fragmentation, as fans often need several services to follow teams, which means higher prices and more access issues (like geo restrictions). Despite this, traditional broadcasting remains general for major events, while social media, used by over 90% of younger fans, has become central for highlights, news, and ongoing communication.But these statistics are generic; when we are talking about the World Cup 2026, we need to focus on bilingual viewing, and approach—<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nexxenus.docsend.com/view/w7aaavpyqusjyy7b?submissionGuid=7cb620e4-88a8-4d55-83ce-562c3abadb16">more countries, more fandoms</a>. When it comes to languages, we should remember that in three host countries, people speak three languages. And imagine how many languages we will get, if we count all those used in all participating countries.Curious facts provided by Nexxon Media:<ul><li>14% of the audience will watch games both in English and Spanish</li><li>63% of the US audience will watch the tournament mainly because of the host countries</li></ul><h2>Social media usage: In retrospect and perspective</h2>During the World Cup 2022™, in Qatar, traditional TV viewership decreased by 11.9% compared to 2018, which was caused by a shift toward multi-screen consumption. Fans were complementing live matches with digital content, and platforms like TikTok got a central role—serving both as a “second screen” for 85% of users, and a discovery engine that boosts match viewership. FIFA adopted this fans’ love for TikTok and made them the official partner last time, and the official social hub this year, which already demonstrates quite exceptional results. Last year, 1.4 million posts were placed on TikTok with the hashtag #FIFAWorldCup. It is not a secret that Gen Zers use TikTok as a search engine and a source of information and news, and throughout the tournament, it can help to grow the best metrics of the platform even more: more games, more results and news should be found.The replacement of the linear TV with content creators can be presented with an example of the podcast “The Rest Is Football,” made by former football players Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. This podcast <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://marketing4ecommerce.net/en/how-the-2026-world-cup-will-affect-global-advertising/">reached</a> 20 million views on YouTube during Euro 2024, which led to its being bought by Netflix. The streaming giant, rather than spending billions on broadcasting rights to games,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/37655980/gary-lineker-netflix-world-cup-deal-podcast/"> invested 14 million pounds </a>to stream this podcast daily during the 2026 World Cup.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1500/1448;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/54584069-9bdc-4cab-ad33-e4cbeeb1f3b4.jpeg" width="1500" height="1448" alt="World cup scheduling"><figcaption>Time availability of the games for different time zones</figcaption></figure>In general, FIFA’s official social media accounts attracted six million new followers by the end of the Round of 16. They created a channel on WhatsApp dedicated to the tournament, which gained a total of 4.4 million followers already (the tournament hasn’t even started yet).<h2>Protection or security</h2>Ahead of recent tournaments, FIFA has placed <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/fifa-social-media-tool-aims-protect-womens-world-cup-players-abuse-2023-06-18/">increasing</a> emphasis on protecting both fans and participants from online abuse (we <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://watchers.io/post/moderation-sportsonline_communities">covered this</a> before the last World Cup). Their Social Media Protection Service (SMPS), developed with FIFPRO, moderates hate speech and other digital violence and has already filtered millions of harmful comments on various platforms and services. It reflects the scale of the issue, which is greatly proven by the fact that one in five players at the 2023 Women’s World Cup <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/one-five-players-2023-womens-world-cup-got-abusive-messages-fifa-2023-12-11/">received</a> abusive messages.&nbsp;At the same time, FIFA’s digital ecosystem continues to expand rapidly, with millions of new social media followers, strong adoption of messaging channels like WhatsApp, and significant app downloads, underscoring the growing importance of safe and engaged online fan communities.<h2>Community engagement on all online stadiums&nbsp;</h2>Many countries have official broadcasters and media covering the tournaments and everything around football this summer. These platforms can grow user loyalty and increase metrics significantly. However, their challenge comes after the World Cup™ ends and fans leave. To keep them on the platform and grow retention, turn them into your audience, not just the World Cup™ audience. You need to create community environments that offer a unique experience and let users feel part of something bigger, sharing emotions, cheering, excitement, and disappointments.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/case-study-worldcup-matchtv-2022">Learn more about community chats integrated with the official broadcaster of the Qatar World Cup™&nbsp;</a>The expanded 2026 World Cup format will give fans more reasons to follow the tournament every day. Watchers helps sports, media and streaming platforms keep that conversation inside their own product with in-app community features built for live events. Even if you represent the national league or team, don’t send your fans into WhatsApp groups when you can gather them together on your own platform and stay connected.&nbsp;<h2>FAQs About World Cup 2026 Format</h2><h3>How many teams will play in the 2026 World Cup?</h3>48 teams will participate, making it the largest World Cup in history.<h3>How do teams qualify from the group stage in the 2026 World Cup?</h3>The top two teams from each group qualify, along with the eight best third-placed teams.<h3>How does the Round of 32 work in the 2026 World Cup?</h3>It’s a new knockout stage where 32 teams compete in single-elimination matches to advance to the Round of 16.<h3>How could the new format change the fan experience?</h3>More matches and teams mean greater global representation and content, but also a more complex and fragmented viewing experience.

Learn how to measure and increase mobile app engagement using key metrics, proven strategies, and in-app communities to boost retention and revenue.

Mobile App Engagement: Metrics, Strategies & Playbook 2026

Substantial mobile app install numbers may sound impressive, but they don’t equate to success in 2026. What equates to success is high mobile app engagement. By measuring engagement metrics, you get a clear idea of what’s working and what is not. In this guide, we’re going to tell you which metrics you need to pay attention to, why they’re important, and what you can do to start boosting your engagement rates today.<h2>What is Mobile App Engagement?</h2>Mobile app engagement is a measure of how often users interact with your app, how long they interact for, and the depth and value of the interactions that take place. Key app metrics that measure those behaviours include stickiness, retention, churn, daily active users (DAU), monthly active users (MAU), session frequency, session length, and session interval. These key app metrics are essential for evaluating your app’s performance so you can identify problems and create solutions based on data.Engagement provides us with valuable insights into app viability for the long-term, while app downloads may just be telling you your marketing team has done a great job. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010716/apple-app-store-google-play-app-downloads-forecast/#:~:text=Annual%20global%20mobile%20app%20downloads%202021%2D2026%2C%20by%20store&amp;text=In%202026%2C%20consumers%20are%20projected,number%20of%20downloads%20in%202021.">According to Statista</a>, users will download 181 billion apps in 2026; a small percentage of those will become apps that users interact with daily or even monthly. Your engagement metrics can give you key information that helps you iterate and rectify before your app ends up in the digital dustbin. &nbsp;<h3>Engagement vs Retention</h3>User retention metrics tell you whether or not your app is holding on to users over a specific period of time. Engagement numbers tell you how customers are interacting with your app. Each metric tells you a different story and allows you to hone in on which app issues need addressing. Retention is typically measured over a 1, 7, or 30-day period. Churn over a short period of time can indicate onboarding issues or a lack of a clear value proposition.Engagement metrics like frequency, interval, and depth are measured over shorter periods and provide more detailed information about perceived value and quality of interactions. While there are overlaps in the data collected from those metrics, there is unique data to be gleaned from each.&nbsp;<h2>Core Mobile App Engagement Metrics</h2>To create an engagement strategy, you need user behaviour data to build from. That data comes from your app in the form of metrics you can measure. Next, we’re going to get into the key performance indicators (KPIs) for engagement data that will give you a clear picture of app performance. The data you get from these KPIs needs to be measured against industry benchmarks. What is considered a good rate in one industry can be considered abysmal in another. For example, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/customer/30-statistics-about-customer-churn/#:~:text=Gaming%20apps%20have%20the%20biggest,drop%2Doff%20of%2027.7%25.">according to Qualtrics research</a>, the average 1-month churn for music apps is 16.2%, while the average 1-month churn for gaming apps is 27.7%.Clearly, there is a significant difference in the reference point between the industries. And so, you need to understand your domain benchmarks to make data-driven decisions. Let’s get into the concrete metrics.<h3>Active Users and Stickiness (DAU, MAU, DAU/MAU)</h3>A core part of a healthy mobile app engagement strategy is increasing stickiness. Stickiness measures how frequently your users engage with your app. Not all users can be classified as active just because they’re logged in. An active user is someone who explores your features and answers your CTAs.In order to measure stickiness, you take <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/glossary/active-user-metrics">DAU</a> and divide it by your <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/glossary/active-user-metrics">MAU</a>. The resulting number of DAU divided by MAU is your stickiness ratioExample: 2,000 DAU / 10,000 MAU = 20% stickinessThe higher your stickiness ratio, the greater the perceived value of your app, and the more habit-forming it is, which can lead to good customer LTVs.<h3>Retention and Churn</h3>Customer retention rate tells you what percentage of people who were initially interested in your app’s value proposition continue to use it over a certain period of time. The churn rate tells you how many of the users who installed your app chose to stop using it over a specified period of time. It may seem like these two metrics tell the same story, but they are often used for different purposes.While your marketing team may look at retention rates to evaluate the success of a campaign, your finance team may look at churn to forecast budgets. These metrics also provide you with the opportunity to choose whether you want to look at your successes or your failures when creating an engagement strategy.&nbsp;<h3>Frequency Length Interval</h3>How users incorporate an app into their day-to-day provides a deeper understanding of engagement. To measure this incorporation, we need to look at frequency, length, and the interval between visits. Frequency tells us how useful customers perceive the app to be, while the intervals in between provide us with a clearer picture of the perception of daily value.How long each visit lasts tells you how in-depth the engagement is. The numbers you gather from these metrics must be measured against your industry benchmarks rather than judged in isolation. That’s because in certain categories like education, depth may be valued over frequency, while in other cases, like social media apps, the opposite may be true.<h3>Feature and Messaging Engagement</h3>Engagement with push notifications and in-app messaging can be good indicators of overall engagement. You can measure engagement with these features by looking at open rates and click-through rates. (CTR). You can also track what happens as a result of engagement with these features. For example, you can look at how an in-app messaging campaign increases the amount of time per visit or how push notifications increase frequency of use.<h3>How to Measure Engagement in Practice</h3>In order to measure engagement for your app at a practical level, you need to log significant user engagement events. This can include registration, frequency, session length, and stickiness. These actions should be tied to a user as well as to times and dates. This then allows you to follow individual user journeys over specified periods of time so you can identify patterns.These patterns can help you identify when significant events like uninstalls take place across user journeys. You should remember that you always need to create a tracking plan—decide what exact metrics you want to follow. There are several of them, like classical GQM (Goal, Question, Metric) Model to improve software quality, MVT (Minimum Viable Tracking) that helps to correct mistakes in developing and marketing, and Pirate Marketing with a focus on retention, which we <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">recently wrote about.</a>When you’ve pinpointed the way of tracking and specified periods in the journey, you can focus on what is triggering the behaviour. For example, if you pinpoint user churn on day one, you can look at your registration process, while high churn rates at the 30-day mark could signal something different, like frustration over push notifications, or lack of perceived long-term value.&nbsp;<h2>8 Mobile App Engagement Strategies for 2026</h2>So you’ve measured your engagement and the numbers aren’t looking good. What can you do? You’ll be happy to know that there are many ways to fix this.<h3>Simplify Onboarding and Registration</h3>One of the easiest ways you can increase retention is by making the onboarding process quick, easy, and unintrusive. Offer Single Sign-on (SSO) and limit the number of steps a user has to take to register. The fewer the number of questions and permissions fields, the lower the chances a user is going to get frustrated or feel intruded upon at the outset. All of that also means the lower the chances of an uninstall or drop off on day one, and improved user engagement rates.<h3>Shorten Time to First Value</h3>In order to shorten the time between app install and the first <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/aha-moment#:~:text=noun,and%20they%20didn't%20fit.">‘aha’ moment</a>, create a frictionless onboarding process that leads straight into the first value moment. You’ll need to identify what that first moment is, but it should be one that highlights your value proposition. The relevant ‘aha’ moment will depend on your app type, but can include creating a post, adding seven friends, or making a restaurant reservation.<h3>Use targeted Push and In-App messaging</h3>If you are looking at how to increase user engagement, push notifications and in-app messaging can be powerful tools. However, they often sit on a fine line between helpful and obnoxious, and it is your job to find that line. What helps in getting the balance right is setting up a system so that certain user behaviours trigger notifications and messaging.When the feature is used in line with user behaviour, the messaging has a greater chance of being welcome rather than obtrusive. Push notifications and in-app messaging that provide genuine assistance create an overall better user experience, which can increase visit frequency and depth, leading to better engagement and heightened app allegiance.<h3>Build In-App Communities and Chats</h3>Community building is a key feature in some of the most successful apps on the market, and chat is a key feature of those communities. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">By creating an in-app community</a>, you create additional value with a social aspect and give users more reasons to log in. &nbsp;In-app communities help increase engagement through increased frequency of sessions, length of sessions, and decreased intervals due to the added value of belonging to a community of like-minded individuals.<h3>Run Live Events and Watch Parties</h3>Anything that you can do to help your community thrive is going to help you increase engagement. Especially if those things create the feeling of exclusivity. So, running live events and watch parties within your app helps you grow your community as well as add value to your community by creating times and places where users can interact.By creating in-app interactive events, you boost the amount of time per visit, as well as frequency. That frequency increases not only because of the events themselves but also because of the in-app relationships that can be built through those events.<h3>Reward Loyalty with Tiers and Exclusive Access</h3>Creating a gaming element within your app can reward your efforts with dividends. The gaming features can be as simple as providing badges for various levels of completion to receiving exclusive perks. Gaming naturally brings out the competitive nature in people and can make even the most mundane or difficult tasks more interesting.One of the greatest examples of gamification is Duolingo, which rewards you with points and a space on a leaderboard for learning streaks. While the reward in itself is not tangible, the gamification of the learning process compels users to log in every day to hold onto their ‘streaks’. Even the learning process in itself is gamified with sounds and characters that make the experience less tedious and more fun.Gamification boosts session length and frequency, and overall LTV. While gamification is a powerful tool, it’s not a tool for all apps. When your app facilitates serious actions, such as in areas like finance or medicine, you should not be gamifying them. Gamification is also not a good strategy for apps that are used to get things done quickly, like authenticators or file-sharing services.<h3>Design Smart Empty States and Nudges</h3>Empty states are either an opportunity to connect with your audience or an opportunity to lose them. Empty states are usually the spaces where users would typically find content if they weren’t new to the app, or they are spaces where their actions have led to a dead end. These spaces give you a chance to show your personality while providing assistance or valuable information.You can use these spaces to provide helpful messages that direct the reader on what to do next. The spaces can also be used to show potential value by displaying what those empty spaces could look like once the user has completed the necessary steps. For example, a dating site user may see an empty profile when users first join, which can seem overwhelming, but a smart use of the empty space can propel action. That smart use can be pseudo-personal messaging to help users complete the first step and obtain the first reward. &nbsp;This can help users move forward instead of turning off the app to return to it another day.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.setproduct.com/blog/empty-state-ui-design#:~:text=❶%20First%2Dtime%20use%20(FTU,to%20create%20or%20import%20something">Empty state fillers</a> should have clear CTAs and provide value with a sprinkle of personality. They should not be considered spaces to slap a logo on or add filler graphics because blank spaces are as much an opportunity to keep a user as they are to lose one.&nbsp;<h3>Drive Feature Discovery Over Time</h3>Onboarding is a critical phase when building a relationship with your customer, and you need to make sure it is as smooth as possible. That means you don’t want to pummel the user with so much information that they leave and never come back. So, when introducing features, do it smartly. A trigger-based introduction is ideal when you have many features to share.Add micro-learning elements through in-app messaging and notifications to gradually introduce new features. Advanced features can be unlocked once users have the opportunity to explore the basic features at their own pace. Pop-up hints and tips for newly unlocked features should be easy to click off to avoid user frustration. And when launching a new feature campaign, it may be a good idea to segment the newly onboarded cohort to receive those notifications later.<h2>In-App Communities as an Engagement Engine</h2>When you strategise about how to increase user engagement, think about what makes some of the most successful apps on the planet successful. The most successful apps have communities where users come together and have conversations. An online community provides much of the same benefits as an IRL one does, creating connections, happiness, and a social fabric.Providing your customers with a place to gather and discuss topics related to your app provides a multitude of benefits. Your in-app community can become a social hub as well as a place where FAQs get answered and ideas are discussed. When users find a community within an app, they can become more connected with the app through the interactions that occur with other users and moderators within the community.All of that means churn numbers decline, and LTV increases. Communities are also a great place to connect with your customers as a brand. You can get immediate feedback on new features, as well as ideas for new ones. Beyond that, more and more customers want to have a connection with the brands they spend their money and time with. According to Sprout Social, 76% of consumers will buy from a brand they feel connected to over a competitor.<h2>Why Keeping Conversations Inside the App Matters</h2>If you don’t have a mechanism for keeping conversations within your app, your users will gather elsewhere. That means potentially pushing your customers to another app not only in the short-term, but also potentially losing them completely.The time your users spend off your app decreases engagement, destroys the habit loop, and can undermine the perceived value of your app. You also lose data when users move off your app, as well as the ability to protect your users' privacy and play a role in conversation moderation.<h2>FAQs About Mobile App Engagement</h2>Find answers to frequently asked questions about mobile app engagement strategy here.<h3>How to increase mobile app engagement?</h3>You can increase engagement for your mobile app by creating in-app communities, ensuring onboarding is friction-free, and delivering on your value proposition quickly.<h3>What is mobile app engagement?</h3>It is a measure of how often your users are on your mobile app, how long they stay, and the depth of their visits. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/growth">The numbers from those metrics</a> tell you how engaged your users are.<h3>What affects user engagement in a mobile app?</h3>User engagement in a mobile app is affected by ease of use, perceived value, personalisation, and community appeal. &nbsp;<h2>Sources</h2>Sprout Social | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://sproutsocial.com/insights/data/social-media-connection/">BrandsGetReal: What consumers want from brands in a divided society</a> Statista | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1010716/apple-app-store-google-play-app-downloads-forecast/#:~:text=Annual%20global%20mobile%20app%20downloads%202021%2D2026%2C%20by%20store&amp;text=In%202026%2C%20consumers%20are%20projected,number%20of%20downloads%20in%202021.">Annual mobile app downloads worldwide by store 2026</a> Qualtrics | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.qualtrics.com/articles/customer/30-statistics-about-customer-churn/#:~:text=Gaming%20apps%20have%20the%20biggest,drop%2Doff%20of%2027.7%25.">30 Statistics About Customer Churn&nbsp;</a>Watchers Blog | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/user-retention">User Retention: A Practical Guide to Boost Loyalty and Revenue</a>Watchers Blog | <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/in-app-community-guide">How to Build an In-App Community: Step-by-Step Guide</a>

The latest releases introduce new solutions to boost user engagement, education tools for admin panel users, and improved control and management features. Read more, and book a demo call if you’d like to learn more.

The latest release introduces new solutions to boost user engagement, enhanced education tools for admin panel users, and improved control and management features. Read more, and book a demo call if you’d like to learn more.

AI Coach, Spanish Back Office, and Many More

<h2>New features for your users&nbsp;</h2><h3>Personal conversational AI bot&nbsp;</h3>Users watch and cheer on many various events on our clients’ platforms, and of course, they cannot be experts in all of them by default. So, they used to need to go somewhere else to Google and search for all the desired information about athletes, teams, results, and more. Now, they can get all of these right in a chat. Due <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/ai-assistants">to AI Coach, an AI agent </a>that finds and shares sports info with your users in a private convo or in a public chat. Learn more about our new functions or try to ask AI Coach yourself <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/stands">on the demo stand.</a><h3>Giveaway-bot</h3>You can run the giveaway quizzes for your users in a chat. Engage them more and grow retention at the same time: if your users joined the quiz, they will definitely come back to know the results. You can run such quizzes for all users or for those with specific badges.The bot can be activated through the admin panel.<h2>New opportunities in the back office</h2><h3>User profile, and search</h3>You can find any user who visited your chat even once and use this userID or nickname. Besides this, you can check the last activity of these users, their avatars, nicknames, messages, as well as bans if they were banned and reports if they were reported. Using these user pages, you can also manage them, for example, reset avatars or nicknames if they break some rules.<h3>Spanish back office</h3>The back office interface switches the language according to your browser settings. Still, you can also choose the needed language manually.<h3>Educational videos</h3>We’ve added video guides that will help you to learn the admin panel, its settings and functions, and how to operate with the best results you can achieve.<figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1928/1088;" src="https://cdn.eu.watchers.io/06bb0e0b-30ca-4008-b7f6-6642f0b85816.png" width="1928" height="1088"></figure><h3>Data on marketing offer usage</h3>You can download the useIDs of users who viewed and engaged with your marketing offers, in-feed and pop-ups. You can reuse this info for more precise management of your promo and marketing activities.<h3>Pre-moderation managing</h3>Now, even default blocking lists can be set up or turned off. Manage pre-moderation as you wish, and add new filter lists more conveniently.<h2>Additional control</h2><h3>Limits for sharing</h3>If you use any of our social widgets, you can restrict how many times users can send the same win, deal, or bet in a chat. The setting is optional; the number can be limited on the widget settings page on the admin panel.<h3>Read-only mode opportunities</h3>You can decide on your own how <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.watchers.io/docs/read-only-mode-in-no-auth-zone#/">read-only mode </a>will look on your chat. You can add a button, link, or just explain what users should do to join the conversation. Also, you can set specific information widgets just for read-only users.<h2>Small improvements</h2><ul><li>Badges with triggers: you can award your users not only for future actions but also retrospectively.</li><li>Communication mode became even more convenient: decide from a regular user or admin you want to communicate in a chat.</li><li>Video changes its layout when the user changes the device orientation while watching. So, video watching in a chat becomes more natural and habitual.</li><li>We’ve started to inform you about the dashboard updates. See the exact time and date when the metrics were updated last.</li><li>Badge tooltips can be multilingual, as is your whole chat. Just add all necessary variations while setting up the badge, and the tooltips will be shown accordingly with the interface language of the user.</li><li>Users can send HEIX images in a chat.</li><li>While creating the badge, you can use the HEX code to choose the specific colour.&nbsp;</li></ul>&nbsp;And of course, besides this, we always work with the security of our chats to guarantee all our clients and their users the most comfortable and trusted environments for exchanging ideas and emotions.<h2>Get in touch</h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px 0px 1.30208vw;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">Please <a style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(87, 89, 255);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:inherit;font-weight:400;line-height:1.35417vw;margin:0px;outline:0px;overflow-wrap:break-word;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;transition:color 0.4s;vertical-align:baseline;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://calendly.com/watchers-platform/social-tools-for-your?month=2025-08"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr">get in touch with us</a><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border:1pt none windowtext;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;line-height:16.1px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0cm;vertical-align:baseline;" lang="EN-GB" dir="ltr"> if you'd like to integrate community chats with your website or app. We'll be happy to help you find the best solution.&nbsp;

An AI assistant will help with the back office, triggers for badges award your users automatically... Read to know about other improvements for the best and clearest experience.

Discover the latest Watchers community chat platform updates: automated badge triggers, enhanced user experience, paywall integration, and powerful back office tools to boost engagement and monetisation.

Last Product Updates: New Features & Enhancements

<h2>Triggers for Badges</h2>We’ve added triggers to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.watchers.io/docs/badges">our badge system</a>. Now, our clients can build an automated badge experience. This means your users can earn badges by sending a certain number of messages, frequently reacting (e.g., Chat Empath), or maintaining a streak – for example, by using chats regularly. This helps users feel more engaged, similar to how Duolingo motivates learners.<h2>Look and Feel in Chat</h2>We prioritise making the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://watchers.io/post/perfect-UX-criteria-watchers">end-user experience simple and enjoyable</a>. Digitally savvy users engage with multiple messengers and social platforms, and they have high expectations. That’s why, over the past month, we’ve introduced several minor improvements to make users feel as comfortable as possible:<ul><li>Swipe to reply</li><li>A selected image gallery</li></ul><h2>Paywall in Chat</h2>Previously, chats could be shown in read-only mode. Now, you can place <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://docs.watchers.io/docs/readonly-mode-ui">a paywall over chat.</a> Why is this useful? It enables you to transform the chat feature into a powerful conversion tool. You can restrict chat access to subscribers or users who have completed specific actions. The paywall doesn’t just block the chat – it explains its value and communicates what users need to do to gain access.<h2>Back Office Improvements</h2>Since our chats are managed via a back office, it must remain user-friendly and familiar. Here’s what we’ve recently improved:<ul><li>New statuses and templates for marketing offers</li><li><code data-start="1652" data-end="1665">postMessage</code> support for theme, language, and coefficient changes without reloading the chat</li><li>Avatar settings flow redesigned: you can now choose between platform-driven avatars, which you provide from your primary platform, and user-controlled avatars, which users select or upload.</li><li>Support for various language code formats</li><li>An assistant who helps you find an answer to any question about the admin panel usage and creates a ticket if the problem hasn't been solved</li></ul><p style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.38;margin:0pt 0px;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">***<p style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:Inter;font-size:0.9375vw;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.38;margin:0pt 0px;orphans:2;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" dir="ltr"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color:transparent;border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Please fill out the form below if you'd like to integrate community-based live chat or other social tools into your website or app. We will help you find the best solution for your engagement strategy.&nbsp;