WhatsApp introduced Communities in 2022 as a way to bring related groups together in a larger community. Communities allow you to organize your groups better and get information out to multiple groups more easily. Here’s what you need to know about using WhatsApp Communities.
What are WhatsApp Communities?
WhatsApp Communities are a way to bring separate groups together under one umbrella, with a structure that works for you. They contain the following elements:
- Community name: This is displayed at the top of the Community page and is the main identifying feature of the overall Community.
- Community description: You can provide a short description of your Community’s purpose to help users understand what it’s about.
- Member groups: These are the existing WhatsApp groups that you want to bring together in your new Community. Each group can have up to 512 members.
- Admins: These are the only people who can add new groups to the Community, remove groups, and make other admin assignments.
- Announcements: Admins can share messages with the entire Community through announcements. All Community members can respond to announcements.
So in a nutshell, a WhatsApp Community acts as a central place where various related groups can come together. You keep your original group sizes and structures, while getting the benefit of easier announcements and organization.
How to create a WhatsApp Community
Creating a new Community is simple and only takes a few steps:
- Open the WhatsApp app on your phone
- Go to the Communities tab
- Tap “Start a Community”
- Add a Community name, description and profile picture
- Select the groups you want to add to this Community
- Tap “Create Community” to finish up
Once created, you can make additional changes like adding a community description, adding or removing groups, and assigning other admins.
How to send announcements in a Community
Announcements are a handy tool in Communities that let admins broadcast messages to all members of the Community. Here’s how to send one:
- Open the WhatsApp Community you want to send the announcement in
- Tap the announcement icon in the top right (megaphone symbol)
- Compose your announcement in the message box
- When ready, hit send
A few things to keep in mind about announcements:
- Only admins can send them
- Announcements go out to all Community members instantly
- Members can reply to the announcement message
- Announcement replies are only seen by the admin who sent it originally
How members can reply to announcements
When an admin sends an announcement, members of the Community will see it in their group chats like any other message. To reply:
- Open the announcement message in the group where you received it
- Tap the reply icon (curved arrow symbol)
- Type out your reply in the message box
- Hit send when ready
Your reply will go only go to the admin who originally sent the announcement. Other members won’t see it.
How to edit Community details
After creating a Community, there are a few key details you can edit at any time:
- Name: Tap the current Community name to change it
- Description: Tap the description area to add or edit text
- Profile photo: Tap the current photo to change it
- Admins: Go to Community Settings > Admins to add or remove other admins
- Member groups: Go to Community Settings > Member Groups to add or remove groups
All of these can be changed as needed by any admin user. The changes will apply instantly across the entire Community.
How to add more groups to a Community
Expanding your Community with more groups is easy. Just follow these steps:
- Open the WhatsApp Community
- Tap the Actions menu (3 vertical dots)
- Select Community Settings > Member Groups
- Tap “Add Groups” at the top
- Choose which of your groups you want to add
- Tap “Add” when finished selecting
Newly added groups will now be part of the Community and receive announcements sent out by admins.
How admins can remove member groups
If needed, admins can remove groups from a Community just as easily:
- Go to Community Settings > Member Groups
- Tap the trash icon next to any group you want to remove
- Confirm the removal in the popup
This will pull the group out of the Community but won’t delete the group itself. Members of removed groups simply won’t get Community announcements anymore.
How to make other users Community admins
Every Community starts with one admin – the user who created it. You can add more admins later on with these steps:
- Go to Community Settings
- Tap “Admins”
- Tap “Add Admin”
- Select the user(s) you want to make admin
- Confirm your selection
New admins will immediately gain the ability to manage Community groups, send announcements, and add or remove other admins.
How admins can remove other admins
If an admin needs to be demoted, any other admin can remove their privileges:
- Go to Community Settings > Admins
- Tap the trash icon next to the admin you want to demote
- Confirm the removal in the popup
This reverses their admin status and returns them to being a regular member of the Community.
How to leave a Community as a member
If you no longer wish to be part of a Community, you can leave at any time by:
- Opening the Community info page
- Scrolling to the bottom
- Tapping “Exit Community”
- Confirming in the popup
You’ll immediately be removed from the member list. If you were also an admin, this removes your admin status as well.
How admins can delete an entire Community
Deleting a Community completely removes it and all associated groups. To delete a Community:
- Open Community info
- Scroll to the bottom
- Tap “Delete Community”
- Confirm in the popup
The Community will be permanently deleted along with all announcement messages. However, the member groups themselves will still exist as standalone groups.
WhatsApp Community tips and tricks
Here are some handy tips for making the most of WhatsApp Communities:
- Name Communities for their purpose like “School Clubs” or “Neighborhood Watch”
- Use Community descriptions to explain guidelines and objectives
- Add relevant admin users who can share the announcement workload
- Remove old announcements by tapping and holding to delete them
- Mute a Community if you only want to check announcements occasionally
- Use announcements sparingly so they don’t get ignored
- Reply privately to admins if you don’t want other members to see
- Leave Communities you are no longer interested in
WhatsApp Community FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about WhatsApp Communities:
How many members can a Community have?
There is no direct limit on Community membership. However, each group within a Community can have up to 512 members. So the total size depends on how many groups you have.
Do Communities work on WhatsApp Web?
Yes, Communities are available on both the mobile app and WhatsApp Web once you update to the latest versions.
Can I create Communities on iPhone?
Communities are currently only available on Android. An iOS version is coming soon.
Are Communities end-to-end encrypted?
Yes, everything in Communities has the same level of end-to-end encryption as normal WhatsApp chats and calls.
Do I need admin approval to join Community groups?
No, you can join Community groups with a link or invite just like any other WhatsApp group – no admin approval needed.
Can Community admins read my private chats?
No, Community admins have no visibility into your private messages or calls.
Conclusion
WhatsApp Communities provide a flexible new way to bring related groups together under one roof. They help you organize your groups, communicate more efficiently through announcements, and give admins tools to manage the Community. The ability to create larger collections of groups gives WhatsApp an edge over other messaging apps.
Try creating your first Community around a topic or purpose important to you. Add relevant groups, engage members through announcements, and keep refining the Community over time. With a customized structure and engaged membership, your Community can provide great value.