WhatsApp will soon let you create groups without adding anyone
While the change may seem small, it significantly streamlines the process of starting group chats — especially useful when preparing a group in advance for an event, project, or family gathering.
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WhatsApp is introducing a new feature that allows users to create group chats without needing to immediately add any members. Until now, creating a WhatsApp group required at least one contact to be added. But with this upcoming update, users will be able to set up a group and add people later by sharing an invite link.
While the change may seem small, it significantly streamlines the process of starting group chats — especially useful when preparing a group in advance for an event, project, or family gathering.
Create Groups Without Contacts The update was first spotted by WABetaInfo and is currently available in the WhatsApp beta version 2.25.14.12 for Android. It is expected to roll out more widely in the coming weeks.
In addition to the group creation update, WhatsApp is also working on a set of new tools designed to make group management easier and more user-friendly.
Right now, users can create a group from the floating chat button within the app. The current process requires adding at least one other contact, but the new update removes that requirement. Instead, users will be able to create a group with just themselves as a member — and add others later as needed.
This change could also make WhatsApp groups more flexible — not just as a way to chat with several people, but also as a space to store and organise files, links, and notes. In that sense, it becomes somewhat similar to WhatsApp’s “Message Yourself” feature, which people use to save messages, media, and other important information.
Privacy for AI Features WhatsApp has also shared plans to enhance privacy protections around its new AI-powered features. While some users prefer AI tools to operate entirely on their devices for privacy reasons, WhatsApp acknowledges those limitations.
Following Apple’s lead, Meta (WhatsApp’s parent company) is now building a private computing cloud system. This system aims to combine the benefits of cloud computing with end-to-end security, ensuring that user data remains protected even while AI tools process it.
