> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skyfree.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# WhatsApp Groups

> Create invite-only groups on your WhatsApp number and manage participants, join requests, and automation behaviour.

## What is this?

**WhatsApp Groups** lets you create and manage invite-only groups directly on your WhatsApp business number. You can share an invite link, approve or reject join requests, see who is in each group, and control whether automations respond to messages in the group.

<Info>
  WhatsApp Groups requires a plan add-on and an **Official Business Account** connected through the **WhatsApp Cloud API**. Numbers used in the WhatsApp Business app or in coexistence mode are not supported.
</Info>

The groups page shows four stat tiles — **Total groups**, **Active**, **Suspended**, and **Deleted** — followed by a searchable table of all groups on the active channel.

## What can I do here?

* **Create** a new group with a name, optional description, and joining mode
* **Import** existing groups already on the WhatsApp number
* **Open a group** to see its details, invite link, join requests, and participants
* **Delete** a group

### Groups table

| Column | What it shows |
| - | - |
| **Group** | Group name and current status |
| **Participants** | Number of people in the group (max 8 besides your business number) |
| **Joining** | Anyone with the link, or Approval required |
| **Automation** | What messages trigger automations (Never / Only /commands / Every message) |
| **Updated** | When the group was last changed |

### Group details

Opening a group gives access to five sections:

| Section | What you can do |
| - | - |
| **Details** | Edit the group name and description |
| **Invite link** | Copy the invite link, reset it (invalidates previous links), or send an invite using a WhatsApp template |
| **Join requests** | Approve or reject pending requests (only shown when joining mode is Approval required) |
| **Participants** | See who is in the group and remove participants |
| **Behaviour** | Toggle message storage in the inbox and set which messages start automations |

## How to use it

1. Go to **WhatsApp → Groups**.
2. Click **New group**.
3. Enter a **Group name** (up to 128 characters) and an optional **Description** (up to 2,048 characters).
4. Choose a **joining mode**:
   * **Anyone with the link** — anyone who opens the invite link joins immediately.
   * **Approval required** — people send a join request that you approve or reject.
5. Click **Create group**. WhatsApp creates the group in the background; it appears in the list within a few seconds.
6. Open the group, go to **Invite link**, and copy the link or send it via a WhatsApp template.
7. In **Behaviour**, set **Automations start from** to control which messages start workflows:
   * **Never** — no automations start from this group.
   * **Only /commands** *(default)* — automations start only from messages that begin with a slash command (for example `/help`).
   * **Every message** — automations can start from any message in the group.

<Warning>
  Setting **Automations start from** to **Every message** can be expensive — each reply is billed once for every participant it reaches.
</Warning>

## Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

* **"This number cannot use Groups."** The number is not an Official Business Account on the Cloud API. Numbers on the WhatsApp Business app or in coexistence mode are not supported.
* **"Your current plan does not include WhatsApp Groups."** Purchase the WhatsApp Groups add-on from Plans.
* **The group does not appear after creation.** WhatsApp creates groups asynchronously; wait a few seconds and refresh the page.
* **The invite link stopped working.** Someone reset the link from the group's Invite link section — share the new link.
* **A participant can't rejoin.** A removed participant cannot rejoin using the same invite link; reset the link first, then share the new one.
* **The suspension cannot be cleared here.** WhatsApp suspended the group externally; contact WhatsApp support to clear the suspension.

## Related docs

* [WhatsApp Overview](/workspace/whatsapp/overview)
* [Templates](/workspace/whatsapp/templates)
* [Automation Overview](/workspace/automation/overview)
* [Channels](/workspace/channels)


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