The new privacy settings have started rolling out to some users with wider availability expected in the coming weeks.WhatsApp has rolled out new privacy settings, which includes an invite system for groups. The new features give users more control over which groups they want to join. Users will now need to approve whether they are interested in joining a group on WhatsApp to which they have been invited.
The new invite system means that users can choose to be added to only groups for which an invite has been sent by their contact. The user will have the option of approving whether to join a group or not, which wasn’t the case before.
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A group invite will be sent through private chat and users will have three days to accept it. After three days, the invite expires. The invite will have details like the group name, its description and other group members.
To enable the feature, users can head to the Settings menu in WhatsApp and then tap Account > Privacy > Groups. There are three options to choose from: “Nobody,” “My Contacts,” or “Everyone.”
If a user selects “Nobody”, then they will need to approve before being added into any group. With the “My Contacts” option, only contacts in the user’s address book can add them to groups.
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The new privacy settings have started rolling out to some users and will be more widely available in the coming weeks. Users will need to update their WhatsApp app to the latest version to access this feature.
The invite system was long-awaited as users will now be able to decline being added to groups they do not wish to join. The feature will also help curb the spread of misinformation on the platform, especially fake news that is targeted to a large number of people at once through groups.
