WhatsApp has arranged the settings of groups in such a way that you can be added to groups by anyone. This is not only very annoying, it also makes you vulnerable to spam and phishing. Fortunately, you can change these WhatsApp group settings.
Groups in WhatsApp are normally used to keep in touch with several people from your group of friends or family. But there are people active on the platform with slightly less good intentions who abuse the group functionality. In some cases, this functionality is used to harass people through spam or to scam people digitally. With these steps you change the group settings so that you can no longer be randomly thrown into all kinds of groups.
Change group settings in WhatsApp
Step 1: Open WhatsApp, tap the three dots at the top right and go to Settings
Step 2: Go to Account and then Privacy
Step 3: Go to the Groups option, in Android this option is a little further at the bottom
Step 4: Change the option from Everyone to My Contacts or My Contacts, except …
With this last option you can exclude certain contacts. These people can then no longer invite you to a group.
The screenshots in this article are from an Android smartphone. The steps are the same for iOS users, although the menu order of certain settings may be different.
These are the best security tips for WhatsApp
Adjust last seen
Under the Privacy heading you also have the option to change the settings for Last seen to adjust. When you have this option set to Everyone or My contacts, people can see when you were last online. In some cases, this entails certain expectations. Why is that person not responding? Can’t I see that person went online an hour ago? If you prefer to avoid these situations, you can go to Last seen on No one put. This way your contacts will not see when you were last online. They can only see that you are using WhatsApp if you are actually online at the time. Looking for more WhatsApp tips? Then view our article 23 indispensable tips for WhatsApp.