WhatsApp adds phone number privacy feature to Communities

WhatsApp Communities phone number privacy

WhatsApp’s latest update brings a new feature that adds phone number privacy to Communities. So essentially, when you join a new community on WhatsApp your phone number will be hidden from other members in the same community. WhatsApp already hides the community participants list in the announcement group. It also didn’t let users react to messages since it would reveal their phone numbers. 

But with the new privacy feature, WhatsApp will hide the phone number of users reacting to messages, as explained by WABetaInfo. This way, community members can interact without having to reveal their phone numbers. Since communities club different groups together there would be several unknown members. 

WhatsApp was reportedly testing this feature with select users but it is now available to more users who are on the app’s beta programme. So if you are on WhatsApp beta then you can update the app to Android 2.23.14.19 or iOS 23.14.0.70 versions.

The new feature should appear once you download the latest update. If you have received it, then you should see a prompt about the new phone number privacy. It goes without saying though that people who have saved you as a contact will still be able to see your phone number. 

For those unaware, WhatsApp Communities lets you connect multiple groups together under one parent group. It helps in disseminating information to several groups at once. Anyone can create a community on WhatsApp and add existing or new groups. WhatsApp automatically creates an ‘Announcements’ chat where you can share messages for all members in the community.