WhatsApp updates group leaving feature

WhatsApp changed its group leaving feature in October 2022, allowing users to leave a group without notifying other members. Only group administrators now receive a notification when someone leaves.

User visibility after leaving

When a user leaves a group, their name stays visible in the list of former participants for 60 days. This list is accessible to all group members through the group information section.

Options to avoid notifications

Users who want to avoid notifications, even for administrators, can mute notifications or archive the group. Muting involves accessing the top menu in a group chat and selecting "Mute Notifications" with the "Always" option.

Archiving a group

To hide a group from the main feed, users can long-press on the group in their conversation list and choose "Archive." This hides the group, but the user remains a member, and their name stays listed in participants.

Keeping archived groups hidden

To ensure a group stays archived, users must enable the "Keep archived conversations" option in WhatsApp Settings under Conversations. Without this, the group reappears in the conversation list with every new message.