WhatsApp has been consistently rolling out updates for its messaging application and now it’s supposed to receive another feature which will require WhatsApp group admins to send invitations to users if they want to add someone to the group. Only after the user accepts the invitation will they be added.
According to a report on wabetainfo.com, the feature will be called Group Invitation and is currently available to iOS beta users. Android users will probably get it in the coming months as well.
The report also says that the feature is still in its developmental stage and still needs many other improvements before it can be enabled for all WhatsApp users.
The primary reason that this feature is being rolled out is that many users had been complaining that they were being added to random groups without their permission which is why WhatsApp has decided to give the power to the individual to accept or reject any invitation to a group if they so desire.
The update will be available to beta users first and then be rolled out to others. Post the release, you can manage the Group Invitation feature in WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups.
When a group admin isn’t able to add you, a new chat will open up where the user will be able to choose whether they really want to join the group or not. Basically, it will display two options: Accept and Decline.
A user will have the option of accepting the invite within 72 hours, else the invitation will expire, post which the user won’t be able to join the group. Also, as a protocol, a user will not be able to receive two invitations from the same group at the same time.
It is important to note that users will still be able to join a group using a group link invite, regardless of the new feature being rolled out.
The ability to let users decide on joining group will come in handy for markets like India, where the General Elections will be taking place in 2019. Groups are reportedly misused to share hatred messages, which has already led to multiple violence stricken incidents over the past few months.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)