WhatsApp is rolling out a new update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.23.6.9.
What’s new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a group setting to manage how to approve new group participants, for some beta testers!
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Approve new participants |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Compatibility? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.6.9 is marked as a compatible update, but some users may be able to get the same feature after installing the previous 2.23.5.13 update. |
| I’ve installed this update but I don’t have this feature. Why? | This feature has been released to some beta testers and more activations are planned over the coming days. |
| Thanks: | kingcyrious, Saadh Jawwadh, and Technical MJ TV, for testing and reporting! |
| How to join the community on WhatsApp? | WABetaInfo Community |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.5.13: what’s new? WhatsApp is releasing 21 new emojis from Unicode 15.0! |
APPROVE NEW PARTICIPANTS
In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.18.9 update, we announced a new feature under development: the “approve new participants” group setting. Thanks to this feature, group administrators would be able to manage how the approval of new members works in their groups. In particular, when the option is enabled, anyone trying to join a group will be subject to approval by an administrator. After installing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.6.9 update from the Play Store, we discovered that it is now rolling out to certain beta testers:
As you can see in this screenshot, there is a new option called “approve new participants” within the group settings section, in case the feature is enabled for your account. In case this option is turned on, people who want to join the group must be manually approved by a group administrator.
In our opinion, this feature definitely offers more control over who joins the group: by toggling this option, group admins can now approve or reject new participants when they join the group, even if they have used a group invite link. In addition, we think it can really help admins limit the large number of requests they receive from people who want to join a subgroup of their community. As we have a large community on WhatsApp, we understand this is particularly important for public communities with many participants.
This feature is available for some beta testers that install the latest updates of WhatsApp beta for Android from the Play Store, and it is rolling out to even more beta testers over the coming weeks.
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