Guide · Groups · For the shop running a VIP or offers group from its business phone

Running a customer group on WhatsApp from your business number: who can post, approving joiners, @mentions, voice chats, events and polls, and why groups get suspended

A boutique starts a VIP group for its best customers, or a restaurant starts one for weekly offers, straight from the shop's WhatsApp phone. It works, until a stranger joins from a forwarded link, a customer asks why everyone can see her number, or the group shows This group is suspended. This guide puts WhatsApp's Help Center pages on running a group in one place, in plain language.

Published 15 October 2026

Size, name and the settings you pick at the start

WhatsApp's article How to create and invite into a group says a group can have up to 1,024 members, and the group name can be up to 100 characters. When you create the group you can:

Add a group icon: Pick a photo for the group.
Turn on disappearing messages: Messages then disappear after 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.
Open Group permissions: Set what members and admins can do. The switches are explained further down.

Our reading

These articles describe WhatsApp groups in general, not the WhatsApp Business app. We read them as applying to a group you start from your business number too, but check each setting on your own phone. Groups run through the WhatsApp Business Platform are a different product, limited to eight people; see WhatsApp groups run by a business.

Customers in a group can see each other

Four of WhatsApp's articles describe what members see about each other:

Phone numbers: How to make changes to groups says: You can't hide group members' phone numbers in a group.
Names: How to add and remove group members says that when a new member is added, their profile name may be visible to other members in the group.
After someone leaves: How to exit and delete groups as an admin says a removed member's profile name and phone number show in the Past members list in Group info, and members can see it for up to 60 days after they leave. How to see group members says View member changes shows updates from the last 60 days.

Our reading

A customer group shares every customer's number with every other customer. Tell people this before they join, and ask first rather than adding them. Our guide on asking permission before you message covers WhatsApp's rules on that.

Who can post, edit and add people

WhatsApp's article How to change group admin settings lists the switches under Group permissions. For the first four switches, turning a switch off means only admins can do that thing. Approve new members works the other way round:

Edit group settings: Change the group name, icon and description.
Send new messages: When turned off, only admins can send messages in the group.
Add other members: Add people to the group.
Invite via link: Share a link that invites people to join.
Approve new members: When turned on, admins must approve anyone who wants to join, including people who use a link.

The defaults depend on size. If a group was started with fewer than 33 members, all members can add others, send messages and change the group information. If a group has more than 256 members, Edit group settings defaults to Only admins.

Our reading

For an offers group, turning off Send new messages makes it a one-way noticeboard: your staff post, and customers read and reply to you privately. Turn off Edit group settings too, so only admins can rename the group or change its photo.

Invite links, and approving who joins

WhatsApp's article How to create and invite into a group says you should only share group links with people you trust, because anyone with a group link can join your group and forward the link to other people.

Resetting the link: An admin can reset the invite link to make a new one. Once a link has been reset, the previous link can't be restored.
An old link: WhatsApp's article Can't join group with invite link says a customer who taps a reset link sees that they can't join because the invite link was reset. They can ask a group admin to add them.
Approval is off by default: WhatsApp's article About group join requests says Approve new members is off by default, so every request to join is granted.
With approval on: The customer sees An admin must approve your request above the Request to join button, and can cancel the request. Admins are notified and review requests on the Pending requests screen in Group info.
Where a request came from: When reviewing a request, an admin can see its source, and can tap the person to see their contact info and start a chat before approving or rejecting. WhatsApp lists the ways in as an invite link, being added by another member, a community's group directory or a QR code.
Reviewing from the chat: WhatsApp's article How to approve new members as a group admin says admins see a notification in the group chat when requests are waiting. Open the group chat and select Review to see Pending requests, then approve or dismiss each one. A dismissed request means the person isn't added.

Our reading

A group link printed on a flyer or posted online will travel. Turn on Approve new members before you share it, and reset the link if it spreads further than you meant.

Admins: your staff

WhatsApp's article How to manage group admins says a group can have an unlimited number of admins, and any admin can make another member an admin. Group permissions > Edit group admins lets you add or dismiss several admins at once.

The creator stays: The person who created the group can't be removed, and stays an admin unless they exit the group.
WhatsApp won't step in: WhatsApp says it can't interfere with group administration functions. For example, it can't make someone an admin, even someone who was an admin before.
If the only admin leaves: How to change group admin settings says another member is chosen at random to become the new admin.

Our reading

Create the group from the business phone, and make at least two staff members admins. If the only admin leaves, a customer could become the admin, and WhatsApp says it can't make someone an admin for you.

Getting a message noticed: @mentions, @all and member tags

WhatsApp's article How to mention in a group says you can type @ and pick a member's name to mention them, or pick @all so every member sees an important announcement. People who were mentioned see @ next to the unread chat in their Chats list.

Who can use @all: In groups of 32 or fewer members, every member can. In groups of more than 32 members, only admins can.
Mentions get past mute: A mention overrides a member's mute for the group, unless they have also muted @all mentions. They may also have muted your one-to-one chat with them.
Not everywhere yet: When we read it on 15 October 2026, WhatsApp's article called @all a new feature it was building and testing, which might not be available to everyone yet, and suggested keeping WhatsApp updated.

WhatsApp's article How to add, edit, or delete a group member tag says each member can add a tag about themselves or their role. The tag shows under their name in messages and in the member list, current and future members can see it, and it applies to that group only. A tag can be up to 30 characters, with no special characters, checkmarks or links.

Our reading

Save @all for news customers would want to be interrupted for, since it reaches people who muted the group. Customers who mute @all as well are explained in our guide never missing a customer message. Ask each staff admin to add a tag such as Sales or Branch manager, so customers can see who is answering for the shop.

Voice chats and disappearing messages

WhatsApp's articles About voice chat in a group and How to use voice chat in a group describe a voice conversation inside the group that doesn't have to disturb everyone in it. It works on Android and iOS only.

Starting one: In a group of 3 to 32 members, swipe up in the group chat and hold until Connect appears, then let go. In a group of 33 or more, use Voice chat > Start voice chat.
Quiet by default: You join silently. The group can see you're connected but isn't notified, unless you choose to notify the group. Anyone in the voice chat can add people by calling them or sending them a notification.
Where it shows: Active voice chats show in the Chats tab, the Calls tab and the group chat, where members can tap Join.
When it ends: When everyone has left, or automatically if no one joins within 60 minutes.

WhatsApp's article How to turn disappearing messages on or off in a group says messages can disappear after 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days, unless someone keeps them.

Who can switch it: Any member can turn disappearing messages on or off, unless an admin changes the group settings so only admins can.
Only new messages: The latest setting applies to new messages, not to messages already sent or received. You can also turn it on when you create the group.

Our reading

A short voice chat suits a quick product walk-through for the group without calling every phone. If the group is where customers confirm orders or prices, think twice before turning on disappearing messages, and limit the switch to admins so a customer can't change it for everyone.

Events and polls

WhatsApp's article How to create and edit events in groups describes events:

What an event holds: A name, date and time, a description of up to 2,048 characters, an end time, a location and an optional WhatsApp call link. Call links can't be added to events more than 12 months in advance. Allow guests lets people bring one more guest.
Replies: WhatsApp's article How to respond to events lists the choices as Going, Going with guest, Maybe and Not going. Those who say Going or Maybe are notified when the event begins, and those who say Going, Going with guest or Maybe are notified when the creator edits or cancels it; a notice of the change goes to the chat too.
Limits: One host only, with no co-host. You can't invite people outside the chat or forward an event to another chat. New members can't see events created before they joined, even pinned ones.
Pinning: Only the event creator can edit, cancel or pin an event. A pin lasts 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or until the event ends (or 3 hours after it starts if there is no end time).

WhatsApp's article How to use polls sets these limits:

Size: A question of up to 255 characters and up to 12 options of up to 100 characters each.
Answers: People can vote for more than one option by default. Turn off Allow multiple answers to allow only one.
Editing and results: You can edit the question within 15 minutes of creating the poll. Results, including how many members voted, are under View votes.

Our reading

An event suits a launch evening or a trunk show; a poll suits choosing next week's offer. How to respond to events says people who join later can't see or join events created before they joined, and the creator has to delete the event and create a new one. So if many people join after you post an event, delete it and create it again, as WhatsApp's article says. Earlier replies don't carry over to the new event, so ask people to respond again.

Catching up new members with message history

WhatsApp's articles About sending message history in groups and How to send message history in a group say you can send a new member a chosen number of recent messages and all pinned messages, when you add them or after they join by link. The new member gets a notification, and every member sees a system message that history was sent.

Not sent: Messages that disappeared, live location, view once messages and business transactions.
Who can send it: Admins can turn Send message history off under Group permissions. Members then won't see the option when they add someone.
Reports land on the sender: If the new member reports content from the history you sent, WhatsApp says you'll be reported, not the original sender of the message.

Our reading

Before sending history to a new customer, scroll through it. Anything another customer wrote becomes your report risk once you send it as message history.

What customers control

WhatsApp's article How to change group privacy settings says each person's group privacy setting is Everyone by default. The other choices are My Contacts and My Contacts Except….

When you can't add someone: If their setting blocks you, you're prompted to send a private group invite in a one-to-one chat. They have three days to accept it before it expires.
Links still work: The setting only applies when someone adds them directly. It doesn't stop them receiving an invite link, and WhatsApp says joining through an invite link is always their choice.

WhatsApp's article How to stay safe in groups says someone added by a person not in their contacts sees information about the group and can choose Stay or Exit group. Members can report a single message, a member or the whole group. When someone reports a group, WhatsApp receives up to five of the last messages sent to that person in the group, and no one in the group is notified. The same article lists admin tools: remove members, delete problematic messages, turn on Send for admin review so members can send messages for an admin to review, and dismiss other admins.

WhatsApp's articles How to exit a group as a member and How to rejoin a group chat cover a customer who leaves:

Admins always see it: Group admins see that the person left, and WhatsApp says it's not possible to turn this notification off. Only admins are notified.
Past members: The person's profile name and phone number show in Past members in Group info, where members can see them for up to 60 days.
Reporting on the way out: A customer who leaves can choose Report group. WhatsApp then receives up to five of the last messages sent to them in the group, plus the group ID and when and what type each message was. No one in the group is notified.
Coming back: To rejoin, the person needs an admin to re-invite them, or another member if the admin allows that in settings. After someone has left twice, there is a 24-hour wait before they can be re-added, and the wait grows each time they leave, up to 81 days. An invite link avoids the wait.

Our reading

A customer who doesn't know your number and finds themselves in a group is shown Stay or Exit group, and Report to WhatsApp comes right after Exit. Ask first, and let people join by link.

Why groups get suspended, and the part machine learning plays

WhatsApp's article About group suspensions says members and admins might see This group is suspended when a group violates WhatsApp's Terms of Service. Besides reports from users, WhatsApp says it uses advanced machine learning to identify and ban accounts engaging in bulk or automated messaging, and to evaluate basic information about a group, like its subject or profile photo.

While suspended: How to request a review for a suspended group says no one in the group can send messages, add members, or download or forward media.
Asking for a review: Only group admins can request one, by selecting Request review in the This group is suspended popup. WhatsApp says it notifies you when the review is complete, typically within 24 hours. You can only request a suspension review once.
If the review fails: The group stays suspended, and admins and members can delete it.
Invite via Link unavailable: WhatsApp's article on this message says it occasionally limits a group's invite link to address unwanted contact, abuse, spam or other Terms of Service violations, again using machine learning and user reports. The link normally becomes available again after 7 days.
Adding too fast: How to add and remove group members says that if you've added too many members to groups, you might need to wait 24 hours to add more members and create more groups.

The suspensions article also says using community announcements instead of sending repeated messages to groups or members may help reduce the risk of being flagged as spam. Our guide WhatsApp groups run by a business notes that a Business-app account can't create a community.

Our reading

An automated system reads your group's name and photo, so keep both plain and honest about what the group is. Post only messages customers want, rather than the same offer again and again, and don't add dozens of customers in one sitting. What happens when a number itself is restricted is in our guide WhatsApp Business number restricted or temporarily banned.

Closing a group

WhatsApp's article How to exit and delete groups as an admin sets out the steps:

Remove everyone first: To delete a group for all members, remove all members, then exit the group. If you exit without removing everyone, you can only delete it from your own device.
Members keep a copy: Removing members or deleting the group doesn't delete it on other members' devices. They still see the group and its earlier messages, but no one can send messages.
No way back: A deleted group can't be restored; you'd need to create a new one. Deleting a group also deletes media received in the chat from your device gallery.

Where Meta's AI comes in

Our reading: the AI part of running a group is mostly the machine learning above. WhatsApp says it uses machine learning to evaluate basic information about a group, like its subject or profile photo. Meta AI inside group chats, and Restricted chat, which WhatsApp's group privacy article says group admins can turn on to control how messages and media in a group are shared outside WhatsApp, are covered in our guide Meta AI inside WhatsApp chats with a business.

What this means for your shop

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center as we read it on 15 October 2026, and is not legal advice. The articles describe WhatsApp groups in general, not the WhatsApp Business app.

Our reading

A customer group is a shared room, not a mailing list. Ask before anyone joins, tell them their number will be visible, let only admins post if it is an offers group, turn on Approve new members, keep at least two staff as admins, and save @all for news that matters.

Questions

How many customers can a WhatsApp group hold?

WhatsApp's Help Center says a group can have up to 1,024 members.

Can I hide customers' phone numbers from each other in a group?

No. WhatsApp's article How to make changes to groups says you can't hide group members' phone numbers in a group.

Can I make a group where only my business posts?

Under Group permissions, turn off Send new messages. WhatsApp's Help Center says only admins can then send messages in the group. The article describes WhatsApp groups in general; check the setting on your business phone.

How do I stop strangers joining from a forwarded link?

Turn on Approve new members so an admin reviews each request, and reset the invite link if needed. A reset link can't be restored.

Can I turn off the notice when a customer leaves the group?

No. WhatsApp's article How to exit a group as a member says group admins see that the person left, and it's not possible to turn that notification off. Only admins are notified.

Can I tag everyone in my customer group with @all?

WhatsApp says every member can use @all in groups of 32 or fewer, and only admins can in bigger groups. As of 15 October 2026, WhatsApp said @all was a feature it was still building and testing, so it might not be available to you yet.

A customer left and I can't add them back. Why?

WhatsApp gives two reasons. If they have left the group twice, there is a 24-hour wait before they can be re-added, growing each time up to 81 days; sending them the invite link avoids the wait. Or their group privacy setting may not let you add them; WhatsApp then prompts you to send a private group invite, which they have three days to accept.

Can WhatsApp give me back admin rights in my group?

No. WhatsApp says it can't interfere with group administration functions, for example it can't make someone an admin.

My group says This group is suspended. What now?

An admin can tap Request review in the popup. WhatsApp says reviews are typically complete within 24 hours, and you can only request one review.

Why does my group say Invite via Link unavailable?

WhatsApp says it occasionally limits group links to address unwanted contact, abuse or spam, and that the feature normally becomes available again after 7 days.

Who is BitByteCore?

BitByteCore is a verified Meta Tech Provider (since 9 September 2026). This guide repeats WhatsApp's Help Center, and is not legal advice.

Sources

WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and invite into a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to see group members, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to make changes to groups, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to add and remove group members, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to change group admin settings, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About group join requests, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: Can't join group with invite link, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to manage group admins, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to create and edit events in groups, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use polls, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About sending message history in groups, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to send message history in a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to change group privacy settings, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to stay safe in groups, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About group suspensions, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to request a review for a suspended group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: What does Invite via Link unavailable mean?, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to exit and delete groups as an admin, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to approve new members as a group admin, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to mention in a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to add, edit, or delete a group member tag, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: About voice chat in a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to use voice chat in a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to turn disappearing messages on or off in a group, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to respond to events, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to exit a group as a member, read 15 October 2026.
WhatsApp Help Center: How to rejoin a group chat, read 15 October 2026.

This guide describes WhatsApp's pages as we read them, and is not legal advice. More plain-language notes like this one are on the guides page.

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