WhatsApp: Restricted groups allow only admins to send messages, participants reduced to spectators

WhatsApp is working on a host of new features to improve the group chat experience. They are set to give more control to the group creator and the administrators.

WhatsApp will not allow the group creator to be removed from the group by the other group administrators.

The administrators will be able to choose if other participants can edit the group info, that is subject, icon and description. If that is changed, a notification is given in the group advising the participants that only the admins will be able to edit group info.

Restricted groups

WhatsApp will allow the administrators to disable all chat features in the group for participants. When chat features are disabled, participants will not be able to send text messages, images, videos, GIFs, documents or voice messages in the group chat. Not even the live location will work.

The admins will be able to send anything and when the chat features are disabled a notification will appear in the group advising the participants accordingly. The non-admin participants will only be able to read messages.

If a non-admin participant wants to send a message it has to go through an admin. When chat features are turned off participants will get the option to message an admin and will be to choose any one of the admins. It will be up to the admin’s discretion whether or not to share the message with the rest of the group.

Admins can turn chat features for participants on or off and back but can only switch back after 72 hours. That means if a group is set to allow only messages from admins, participants will have to wait 72 hours before the chat features can be turned back on.

Restricted group vs Broadcast

It is useful for admins when they want the attention of the group and would prefer not to have the messages they send be pushed up as replies roll in. When there are important notifications that do not require responses or maybe are controversial and the admins would like to give the participants three days to cool down before they can reply.

WhatsApp allows anyone to make a broadcast. A broadcast allows you to send the same message to multiple recipient. You create a broadcast list much like you would a group and any message is sent to the individual participants’ chats. The only problem is that you have to have their number saved and they need to have saved your number for you to be able to send them broadcasts.

With both methods, participants can still reply but only to the admin and not to the whole group. The restricted group adds an extra step where the participant has to select which admin to message unlike a broadcast where they just reply to whichever admin sent the broadcast. That could lead to less responses to deal with for the admin when it’s a restricted group.

So it makes the restricted group necessary and it also means that the admin would not have to create a new broadcast list when there already is a group, which is a plus for admins.