WhatsApp users! Here's how to stop others from adding you to unwanted groups

There are times when you get added to unwanted groups. Here’s a delightful WhatsApp feature for you! It allows you to stop people from adding you to random WhatsApp groups.

WhatsApp allows you to stop unwanted contacts from adding you to random group chats. Here is how to use it. (Pixabay)

Don't you hate it when a random chat appears on your WhatsApp that says, “you were added by xyz to this group”? Fortunately, WhatsApp has a feature that allows you to stop unwanted contacts from adding you to random group chats. While the default option to let people add you to groups is “Everyone,” there are two more options that you can choose from to customise your experience on WhatsApp. The default option means you can be added to a group easily. It doesn't matter if the person adding you to the group is on your contact list or not. However, you can stop this from happening.

WhatsApp recently rolled out a new privacy feature that allows users to decide who can add them to random groups. By default, the WhatsApp group privacy settings are set to 'Everyone' but you get two more options. Here is how you can change the privacy setting for group chats in various operating systems.

How to stop WhatsApp contacts from adding you to random groups

Go to WhatsApp Settings:

Android: Tap More options > Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups.

iPhone: Tap Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups.

KaiOS: Press Options > Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups.

You will now get three options:

1. Everyone: It will allow everyone - even people outside of your phone's address book contacts to add you to groups without your approval.

2. My Contacts: This option lets you be added to groups by your contacts in the address book. If the group admin tries to add you to a group, they'll get a pop-up that says they can't add you and will be prompted to tap Invite to Group or press Continue. This will be followed by a send button. Hence, sending a private group invite through an individual chat. You get three days to accept the invitation or it expires.

3. My Contacts Except: It gives you the authority to choose the contacts you want to allow to add you to the groups. After selecting My Contacts Except… you can search for or select contacts to exclude. If a group admin you exclude tries to add you to a group, they'll get a pop-up that says they can't add you.