Welcome to your comprehensive guide on the new WhatsApp Community feature! This innovative addition to WhatsApp empowers users to streamline their group communication by gathering all related groups under one roof. This guide will unveil what WhatsApp Communities are, along with a step-by-step process to create and manage your first community, enhancing your WhatsApp experience.
Understanding WhatsApp Communities
WhatsApp Communities enable users to effectively organize and manage multiple related groups. Imagine having a space where your family, friends, and even colleagues can share activities, announcements, and updates collectively. Whether it’s a family movie night or a departmental project list, Communities bring connected groups together. This feature links various groups, preserving the unique conversations happening within them while allowing you to oversee and communicate with all members.
Among the key benefits are direct announcements via a dedicated channel, superior privacy settings, and enhanced collaboration tools for admins. Like individual groups, Communities employ strong end-to-end encryption, ensuring all communications remain confidential. With WhatsApp, users can establish up to 50 Communities, each hosting up to 5,000 members in the announcement group. Additional features include 32-person video and voice calls, file sharing up to 2 GB, and interactive tools like polls and reactions.
Creating Your WhatsApp Community
Starting your journey with WhatsApp Communities is straightforward, whether you prefer using the mobile app or a web browser. While I’ve used the Web version successfully, note that the desktop app currently lacks this feature.
-
Launch the WhatsApp app on your mobile device. Tap on the Communities tab at the bottom and click on the Start your community button to kick off the process.
-
Pursue the prompt by tapping Get started.
-
Name your Community and feel free to add a profile picture and a description for clarity. Hit Next once you’re finished.
-
By default, your newly created Community includes an Announcements channel and a General chat section.
-
To create additional Communities, navigate back to the Communities tab in the app and click the New community option.
-
If you prefer WhatsApp Web, click the plus icon at the upper-right corner of your chat list.
-
Select New Community and follow similar steps as described for the mobile app, tapping Next to proceed with the setup.
-
Post-creation, view your Communities by clicking the three-person icon on the left side.
Integrating Groups into Your WhatsApp Community
Once your Community is ready, it’s time to enrich it with groups. Always remember, only admins can add groups to a Community.
-
Navigate to your created Community and tap the Add group button.
-
You can either select Add existing groups or Create a new group. Here’s where you can opt to bring in pre-existing groups.
-
Tap Next to proceed with adding the selected groups.
-
Confirm the action by clicking the Add to community button on the following screen. Your groups will now be accessible through your Community.
On WhatsApp Web, navigate to your Community and click its name, then select Add group.
-
Follow the same options as in the mobile app to conclude this process.
Inviting Members into Your WhatsApp Community
Ready to expand your Community? Begin by accessing the Community page and tapping the three dots in the upper corner. Select Invite members.
Here, you’ll find various ways to invite members: share a link via WhatsApp, copy the link to send it through other apps or email, or add contacts from your WhatsApp list directly.
New joiners will immediately gain access to the Announcements channel. Those looking to participate in the other Community groups can request to join or freely enter if permitted. As part of the Announcements, members benefit from all admin communications.
If you’re using WhatsApp Web, open your Community and click on Announcements. Tap the profile picture above the chat box to reveal options, including Add members.
Removing Groups and Members from Your WhatsApp Community
When it’s time for some housekeeping, you can easily remove unwanted groups or members.
-
Access the specific group you want to remove by opening the Community. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner and select Group info.
-
Scroll to the bottom and select Remove from community. Confirm your choice by tapping Remove in the pop-up. This will eliminate the group and all members not part of any other groups.
-
To remove a member without deleting an entire group, return to the Announcements channel. Tap the three dots, select Announcements info, switch to the Community tab, locate the member, and tap Remove [name].
-
For WhatsApp Web, navigate similarly: access the group, click on Group info, scroll down to find Remove from community.
-
To remove a member, go to your Community, proceed to Announcements, pull up Community info, and access the members area to delete as required.
Deactivating or Deleting Your WhatsApp Community
If your Community has served its purpose, you have the option to deactivate it entirely. To do so, open your Community in the WhatsApp app, tap the three dots in the upper-right corner, and select Community info.
Scroll down and tap on Deactivate Community, confirming your choice from the pop-up.
A notification will appear in your Chats column, confirming the Community’s removal, as will similar alerts for the groups involved. To clear these from view, long-press the messages and click the Bin icon.
Upon using WhatsApp Web, invoke the Community info side panel, scroll down, and select Deactivate community to finalize the process.
Stay tuned for continuing developments in WhatsApp, such as the introduction of Lists for better conversation organization and profile links for effortless profile sharing.
Image credit: DepositPhotos. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.
Additional Insights
1. How can I ensure privacy in my WhatsApp Community?
WhatsApp Communities are protected by strong end-to-end encryption. As an admin, you should also be mindful of who you invite and manage group settings to maintain control over privacy.
2. What is the difference between a WhatsApp group and a Community?
A WhatsApp group connects several participants in a single chat, while a Community consolidates multiple groups and their members under one umbrella, allowing for organized communication across various groups.
3. Can I have more than one administrator in a WhatsApp Community?
Yes, as an admin, you can assign other members to manage the Community, enabling collaborative administration and efficient management of group settings.
Leave a Reply