WhatsApp releases function to be able to decline group invitations

WhatsApp is rolling out the feature to decline invitations to group conversations worldwide in a phased manner. The step-by-step release will begin on April 3 and will run for “several weeks.” To use the feature, the latest version of WhatsApp must be installed.

Once the feature is active, users will be presented with an additional option in the Privacy Settings menu. WhatsApp writes this in a blog post. Under the heading Groups, users can choose between Nobody, My Contacts and Everyone. That option controls when users are invited to be added to a new group conversation.

With the first option, the user always gets an invite when added to a new group conversation. The second option means that invitations from people who are a contact of the user will be automatically accepted. The latter option means that all invitations are automatically accepted and is similar to how WhatsApp handles group invites without the new feature. An invitation will be sent via private chat. Users have 72 hours to respond to the invitation; after that the invitation expires and a new one must be sent.

The WhatsApp feature was previously discovered in the app’s code. WhatsApp now writes that the feature is ready for the general public. The first users will get the feature on April 3; the worldwide distribution follows after that and takes several weeks.

According to India Times, the feature is being introduced in response to inquiries from the Indian government. According to the newspaper, it is expected that many political parties will use WhatsApp to spread their political messages in the run-up to the upcoming elections. To do this, they would abuse the group conversations to reach several people in one fell swoop. WhatsApp wants to counter that with the new function, the newspaper writes. To combat the spread of disinformation in the country, the company recently launched a fact-checking service.