How to keep your groups and community safe
Safety is at the heart of the WhatsApp experience. Your community should be a space where people can connect meaningfully. We’ve designed tools and safety features to help you achieve that. Share this page with your members as a quick reference guide.
Your privacy is our priority
We’ve built several features to ensure the privacy of your account.
- End-to-end encryption: Messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default. This means only you and the person you’re talking to can read or listen to messages and calls, not even WhatsApp. Learn more about end-to-end encryption in this article.
- Turn on two-step verification: Set up a secret pin so no one can steal your account. If anyone tries to access your account, they’ll have to enter the pin as well as a 6-digit code sent to your phone number. Learn more about two-step verification this article.
- Enable Touch ID or Face ID: Turn this feature on so only you can unlock your WhatsApp account. Learn how to use Touch ID or Face ID for WhatsApp in this article.
Control what you send and see
- Send disappearing messages: You can decide how long messages remain visible once you've sent them - 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. Learn more about disappearing messages this article.
- Use view once for shared content: For added privacy, you can send photos and videos that disappear from your chat after they've been opened once. Learn more about view once this article.
- Pay attention to messages labeled “Forwarded many times.” Avoid rumors, viral messages, and fake news by checking for accuracy before forwarding content - especially if it’s a chain message and the “Forwarded many times" label is displayed. Learn more about forwarding limits this article.
Avoid unwanted contact
- Block and report: You can stop receiving messages, calls, and status updates from a contact by blocking them.
- Report inappropriate behavior: You can report inappropriate content, messages, or members. Learn how to block and report contacts in this article.
Tools for community admins and members
You can keep your community safe with the tools and tips below.
Admin controls
Admins have access to the following tools:
- Invite members to join your community by sharing a link. Don't post the link on a public forum or website. Only share it with people you know. Learn how to invite members into a community in this article.
- Restrict who can make changes to your community. You control who can make changes to the group or community's subject, icon, or description. Learn how to make changes to a community in this article.
- Delete unwanted messages or remove members. As a community admin, you can easily delete unwanted messages or remove members from the community. Learn how to remove a member from a community in this article.
Member tools
Here are some useful tips to share with your community members:
- Check your group permissions. You can decide who can add you to a group and if you want to stay in a group you’ve been added to. Learn how to change group privacy settings in this article.
- Exiting a community: Members can leave a community they no longer want to be a part of by using the exit community feature. If you choose to leave you can do so quietly. Only the admin will know. Learn how to exit a community in this article and how to change group admin settings in this article.
- Report inappropriate content: Members should report inappropriate or harmful content to WhatsApp to help us keep it safe. Learn how to report a community in this article.
- Mute group notifications: If a community becomes too noisy, members can mute group notifications. Learn how to mute or unmute group notifications in this article.
Access groups in a community
There are a few ways to access groups in a community.
You can tap or click the community the group is part of from the Communities tab or in your Chats tab. Then, tap or click the group.
Or, you can search for your group by typing the group name into the search bar.
