WhatsApp now allows you control who can add you to groups

Groups are one of the best features of WhatsApp but they can also become a nightmare if they add you to groups without any control. Today, after being on trial for a while on iOS, WhatsApp has launched a new privacy configuration that helps limit this problem.

Until now, group administrators could add any WhatsApp user to a group without their consent, the only requirement is that the user should be a contact in the administrator’s phone book. However, from now on, WhatsApp users will be able to choose which people can add them to groups.

To access the new function, users have to go to the Settings menu in WhatsApp and press Accounts. Then, a click on Privacy and the Groups option offers now the possibility to choose between three options: “All”, “My contacts” or “Nobody”.

Users that restrict who can add them to groups can still be added by private invitation. They’ll receive a link, which gives basic information about the group they’ve been invited to, and can choose to join it if they want to. Otherwise, the link expires in 72 hours.

This new WhatsApp privacy feature will begin to be distributed today to a limited number of users before expanding globally in the coming weeks.