WhatsApp Communities: Settings and Risks
WhatsApp Communities bring several groups under one umbrella with an announcement channel. How they work, who can see your number, and the admin settings that keep them safe.
WhatsApp Communities group several related chats together, for example all the class groups in a school, with an announcement group where admins post updates to everyone. They are useful for large organisations, and they have some safety features built in.
How Communities work
- A community contains several groups plus an announcement group.
- Only admins can post in the announcement group.
- Members can join the groups inside the community that are relevant to them.
Who can see your number
According to WhatsApp, community admins can see your number, and so can people in the groups you join inside the community. Other community members in the announcement group cannot. Joining many groups inside a community still exposes your number to more people. See exposed phone numbers in large groups.
Risks to watch for
- Scammers joining an open sub-group and then messaging members privately.
- A hacked admin account posting a fake announcement to everyone.
- Impersonation of organisers using copied names and photos.
Admin settings that help
- Choose who can add groups to the community and approve new members.
- Keep the admin list small, trusted and protected with two-step verification.
- Use the announcement group for official news only, and state how money is collected. See group money safety.
Also see keeping a WhatsApp group safe. For more, see our guide to WhatsApp scams.
Frequently asked questions
Can everyone in a community see my phone number?
WhatsApp says your number is visible to community admins and to members of groups you are in, but hidden from other community members in the announcement group.
Who can post in the announcement group?
Only community admins, which makes it harder for scammers to broadcast to everyone.
How do I leave a community?
Open the community, go to its info, and choose Exit community. You can also report it.
Sources
- About communities, WhatsApp Help Center
- About community admin controls, WhatsApp Help Center
- How to change group privacy settings, WhatsApp Help Center
