WhatsApp groups are one of the easiest ways to be in touch with a number of friends and family members on the instant messaging platform. But at times, it could get overwhelming as anyone could add anyone in the new group without asking for permission, which could be unpleasant to some people. Many times, unknown people tend to add some contacts and start the conversation, which is another concerning issue raised by many users. This problem has been taken care of by Meta as it allows the user to the upgraded security feature.
A while back, WhatsApp rolled out these group privacy settings for every user and here we are to let you know how to update it on both- Android and iOS devices.
Steps to enable the Group Privacy Settings:
The very first thing is to make sure that you have the latest WhatsApp version installed on your device.
You can update your application, by going to the respective Play Store- Google Play Store for Android and Apple App Store for iPhone. Once done, here are the ways to set boundaries and save yourself from being added to any group without your permission.
WhatsApp groups on Android
- If you are an Android user, then you will have to follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp on your smartphone
- Now tap on the three-dots icon which is placed on the top-right
- There, tap on Settings
- Then go to Account
- Then tap on Privacy
- Now tap on Groups where you will get three given options to choose from -
- Everyone where all your saved contacts will be able to add you to the groups
- My Contacts will let your contacts add you to the WhatsApp groups only
- My Contacts Except will let you only select people who can add you to their WhatsApp groups. Now you have a choice to either select the contacts one by one or you can even select all by tapping on the icon placed in the top-right corner. Once, this is done, someone will try to send you the group invite through a private chat which will need approval. You will have 3 days to accept or deny the request to participate in the group before the request expires.
How to stop someone from adding you to WhatsApp groups on iPhone
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone
- Tap on the bottom bar
- Now tap on Settings
- Then go to Account
- Click on Privacy
- And then tap on groups
- The next screen will let you select one out of the three options —
- Everyone- who could add you to the group
- My Contacts which will enable only those whose contact is saved with you
- My Contacts Except will let you restrict some people from adding you to any group.
- You may select contacts or you can just select all the contacts by tapping the ‘Select All’ button on the bottom-right and you are done.
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