WhatsApp for Android to Enable Group Admins to Approve or Reject Requests

WhatsApp incessantly adds features that look small but help to build the grand experience. The upcoming ability will certainly please group admins, as they get in full control of who can enter their groups. With this update, they will be able to accept or reject requests from potential new members in just one tap.

It’s hard to overrate this ability when you administer a really large and popular group. New members may knock on your door every day or even every hour, and you will want to know who they are. Unless you know them in person, it may take a little conversation before you decide whether to allow them. Can it be a bot? A potential abuser? Or someone who has nothing to do with the topic of the group? In these situations, you can just reject their requests. Sometimes it doesn’t even take a conversation to see someone inappropriate.

To find this mode, the admin needs to go to the group settings menu and then scroll it down to the bottom. There they will see the “Approve new participants“ section right below the group settings menu. Probably in this section, the admin will be able to find all the pending requests.

This feature has been spotted in WhatsApp Beta for Android v2.22.18.9. This means, though, that soon it will make it to WhatsApp on all the platforms, as it tends to roll out such updates synchronously.  In the aforementioned beta, though, it’s not even active; its elements have been found by data miners.

As administering groups becomes easier, more people will create them for various purposes. And, given the security measures Meta now takes to protect their privacy, WhatsApp will solidify its status of a social media app rather than a plain messenger. The example of Telegram shows it’s possible. And, despite the recent incredible growth of the latter, WhatsApp by Meta still has a larger userbase and (strangely, given Meta’s reputation) more credibility when it comes to data privacy and security.

What do you think about this feature? If you admin one or more groups, do you already envision how this makes your life simpler? Share your vision with us in the comments!