WhatsApp test option to decline group invitations

WhatsApp is working on an option that will allow users to control how the app handles groups. For example, the user will soon be able to indicate that he can never just be placed in a group, but that he first wants to receive an invitation.

The Group Invitation option will soon appear in the Privacy settings, writes WABetaInfo. Users can choose from three options: Everyone, My Contacts and Nobody. With the first option, group conversations work the same as now and users are added immediately without warning, with the other two options the user is first invited.

With the My Contacts option, the user can always be added in groups if the inviting admin is in his contact list, otherwise he or she will be invited. With Nobody, the user always receives an invitation first when a group admin wants to add him or her.

The invitation appears in a new conversation, where the invitee has two options: accept or decline. After 72 hours, the invitation will expire and a new one must be sent or a group invite link can be used. That link always works, regardless of the privacy setting.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp previously made it impossible to invite certain business accounts to group conversations. This new option seems to stem from that. The option is not yet available to normal users, but will be available in beta for Android and iOS soon.