Having random people add you to groups on WhatsApp you"re not interested in can be annoying, and even OnePlus Co-founder Carl Pei aired his frustration at the service a few years back. Thankfully, WhatsApp has introduced a new capability that lets you block just any user from adding you to a group chat.
The Facebook-owned service has added new control options including "Nobody", "My Contacts", and "Everyone". So, depending on your settings, the next time someone tries to add you to a group campaigning for a local politician, that user will need to send you an invite link via a private message. It should be noted that the link is valid for three days only. That means the invitation will be nullified when the link remains unopened after its expiry.
There is no option, however, to select which specific contact you would like to have the permission to add you to groups. Nonetheless, the new capability may help address the ongoing challenge of spam messages on the platform.
To get started with the feature, simply update WhatsApp on your device and head over to Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups. The rollout begins today and will be completed over the next few weeks, according to WhatsApp.
Source: VentureBeat