WhatsApp group admins can restrict members from sending messages

WhatsApp has been working on the ability to create restricted groups for months now. Now, it looks like this feature has been rolled out to all the users of the app across Android, iOS and Windows Phone platforms. This feature lets the group admins on WhatsApp create restricted groups by restricting members of the group from sending messages.

We have received this feature as a part of the WhatsApp Beta for Android version 2.18.201. A WABetaInfo report hints that the iOS version 2.18.70 has also received the same. We can expect a stable version of Android to get feature soon.

How it works?

This feature has been rolled out as 'Send Messages' and is available under the Group Settings option in the Group Info. If you are an admin of a WhatsApp Group, you can head to the Group Settings. Under this sub-menu, you will find two options - Edit Group Info and Send Messages.

To create a restricted group, you need to choose the Send Messages option and hit on Only Admins. By default, the All Participants option will be enabled. On selecting Only Admins, only the group admins will be able to send messages. The other participants cannot send messages in the group. WhatsApp will notify the members in the group that the setting has been changed and they cannot send messages anymore. The admins can modify this setting at any given point in time.

An attempt to curb spam messages

We consider this as one of the best features rolled out to the platform. We believe that this will curb the spam messages those are usually forwarded in groups. Moreover, it will be useful for admins who run groups related to academies or centers.

We would have come across admins of groups running centers or institutes requesting the members from not sending spam messages or forwarded messages in groups. Instead of requesting the members, the admins can just create restricted groups so that only they are able to send messages and not the other participants.

It would have been great if the platform rolled out an ability to restrict select participants from sending messages in the group. We can expect the same to be rolled out to the app in the future.