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  • WhatsApp should ask for my permission before adding me to any group

    Kaustubh Katdare

    Kaustubh Katdare

    @thebigk
    Updated: Oct 27, 2024
    Views: 3.3K
    Whatsapp has started pissing me off already. I can tolerate waking up to 100s of useless forwarded messages from people I hardly interact with, but have to receive messages from them because I'm a part of the group. But I simply can't understand why whatsapp does not ask me for my permission before 'throwing' me in any group!

    Yesterday, someone automatically added me to a spammy group - of all unknowns. An unknown number added me and then there were about 20-25 unknown members with direct access to my phone number. Worst - I had no control over whether I was interested in becoming a part of the group! I had to leave the group and delete it but by the time almost every unknown member in the group had my phone number - and can easily add me to some other spam group.

    Seriously! Whatsapp has began annoying me. Do you know any way to fix this issue? Or it's just time that will ensure I delete WhatsApp from my phone?
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Replies

  • Abhishek Rawal

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    Don't you have two contact numbers ? One for business/work and another for family/friends ? I would never create whatsapp account with my business/work contact number.
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  • Anil Jain

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    Abhishek Rawal
    Don't you have two contact numbers ? One for business/work and another for family/friends ? I would never create whatsapp account with my business/work contact number.
    That is not a solution of the issue he is asking for.
    A person like me, are not big fan of keeping multiple phones; I would rather keep a multi-sim phone. In that case you will be annoyed (doesn't matter if its from a personal or business sim).

    Unfortunate part is that is no way of avoiding this 😔
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  • Anoop Kumar

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    I see whatsapp premium is coming soon for $10☕.
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  • Kaustubh Katdare

    Administrator • Feb 7, 2015

    Very frankly, this has got nothing to do with personal or business numbers. I have my phone number since the days businesse did not exist. The point is that my number is being shared without my permission. All I'm asking for is that the app should ask for my permission before adding me to any damn group.
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  • Vikram S Bargah

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    I Haven't seen any Permission option yet. but Yes You can put the community to mute (from 1 week to 1 year) mode which will not disturb you while all other are communicating with each other. Secondly Your Profile name won't appear to anybody in your group until you haven't forwarded an messges in the community. After your very first message it'll appear to everybody in the community.

    P.S. Agree, An Approval option is must
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  • Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    I too feel the same . Whatsapp should really give options to users to decide their privacy!
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  • Ankita Katdare

    Administrator • Feb 7, 2015

    It's such a basic feature that one feels lost at words to use to describe why it isn't their in the first place. Have removed myself from atleast 15 groups over the last few months and they keep adding me back. Not comfortable with sharing my number with random strangers who have no clue why they are in the group, other than to to read forwarded messages.
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  • Anoop Kumar

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    Adding into group automatically is totally privacy breach.
    Now a days, mobile number is becoming a identity, all the financial things (tax, bank, LPG, reward points 😁) connected to via a 10 digit number and exposing without permission 👎.
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  • lal

    Member • Feb 7, 2015

    Whatsapp can give a quite obnoxious reply to that; this is our product, these are the features it have and if you don't like that, please don't use it but not publicly bomb us in any means before writing to us first about anything you find not up to the mark, because it is us who made it, not the public!

    Well, I was just thinking about how bad they can reply to that! *Ignore* 😡
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  • jino cj

    Member • Feb 18, 2015

    Is there any whattsapp group for civil engineers.....??!!
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  • Kunti Pandey

    Member • Sep 3, 2015

    Thanks Kaustubh.

    I am pretty sure this is an International grievance, to those who have bothered to notice the difference b/w Phone Number Spam (Number can be blocked) vs Group Spam (No invite, can't block)
    Only ways out:
    1. Mute: but you are still a part of the group
    2. Exit: but you can be added back
    3. Saving Admin's number as contact, Blocking that number, Exiting group, Deleting chat: Need I say anything for this one

    We can go for open-letter-style complaints TO & ABOUT @WhatsApp on social media. This has worked in the past. And there's not much to do or lose in this method.
    1. Comment on their FB page
    Their FB page doesn't allow you to post, you can just comment on their posts
    2. Create an FB Page for this purpose: "WhatsApp, Let ME choose MY group"

    3. Tweets & Comments.
    MY OPEN LETTER reads like this:
    Dear @WhatsApp , Please change your system of how people are added to groups. I request you to replace this forced addition system to an invite/request system so that I can choose whether I want to be a part of a group BEFORE I AM ADDED TO IT. I am making a request, and not forcibly making, you do this. That's how it's done. Please respect my privacy. Please respect my choice.
    #WhatsApp_StopGroupSpam
    #WhatsApp_RespectMyChoice
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