A new WhatsApp update means users will no longer be added to group chats without their consent.
The latest feature for Android and iOS devices allow users to decide who, if anyone, can add them to new groups.
It can be enabled through the messaging app’s privacy settings, with three options now available for who is authorised to add to groups: ‘Everyone’, ‘My Contacts’, or ‘My Contacts Except…’.
This final option allows users to blacklist certain contacts, who will be forced to send any group chat invites through private chats. Users will then have three days to decide whether or not to accept the invite.
The new update was first rolled out in India last month but will be available to download for all WhatsApp users from today.
It is the latest in a string of recent updates to the world’s most popular messaging app, which is used by around 300 million people each day.
Earlier this week the Facebook-owned app introduced an update that allows users to watch Netflix videos within the app.
The feature, which is currently limited to the iPhone version of the app, means WhatsApp users no longer need to leave the app to preview content, similar to the way videos from Instagram and YouTube can already be viewed within WhatsApp.
Other recent updates include biometric security support that allows Android users to secure WhatsApp with a fingerprint to prevent people from snooping on their messages.
WhatsApp is also expected to introduce potentially the biggest update in its history over the coming months, with the introduction of support for Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency.
No official date has been set for Libra and various regulatory hurdles need to be overcome before its launch, though once it is ready it will allow people to send funds across Facebook’s stable of apps, including Instagram and Messenger.
