WhatsApp users will soon be able to create new group chats without having to name them, an update to the current process that requires users to specify group names during creation.
Benefits
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this by saying, “Making it simpler to start WhatsApp groups by naming them based on who’s in the chat when you don’t feel like coming up with another name.”
This should be useful for when a group needs to be created for one-off events not intended for prolonged use.
It is also an option for when the participants have not decided on any topic or are simply unsure what to name the group.
New changes
Unnamed groups will be restricted to six participants, rather than the 1024 users that can join groups.
Instead of names, such groups will instead be given an auto-generated name based on their participants.
How it will appear
This means that group names will appear differently for their different participants.
For instance, if a contact is saved as “Mom,” the user will see “Mom” in the group chat name.
If you do not choose a name, the notification will show only the names of the members.
Official release explains feature
The company’s press note adds, “Useful for when you need to create a group in a hurry, or you don’t have a group topic in mind, unnamed groups of up to six participants will now be dynamically named based on who is in a group.
Built with privacy in mind, the group name will display differently for each participant, based on how they have contacts saved in their phone.
If you are added into a group with people who do not have your contact saved, your phone number will appear within the group name.”
For members with unsaved contacts
If you join an unnamed group with people who haven’t saved your contact, they will see your phone number in the group name.
The implication is that such groups will feature members who already know each other, such as friends and family.
The process of forming such groups is unchanged from regular groups.
Formation process unchanged
Open the app, go to the “New Group” option.
Once created, you will be able to simply add members without giving it a name.
If you’re the admin, then you can also generate a link to add more members.
For that, head to group settings and select “invite to group via a link.”
Rollout
The auto group naming feature is rolling out globally over the coming days on iOS, Android, web, and macOS.
It is one among the host of new features announced in recent months, including support for sending less compressed images, an instant video message feature, and the ability to screen share.
HD image support
It also comes just days after the app added support for HD photos.
Users will need to select the quality of the photo before sending it, as the default setting is set to SD (standard definition).
It said it is also working on introducing HD video support in the coming future.
