How To Delete A WhatsApp Group

Do you find yourself scrolling through WhatsApp groups that you no longer contribute to? Whether it’s leftover groups from work projects, birthday parties or past holidays, having too many chats to scroll through can make checking your messages feel like a chore.

No matter why you want to clear up your chat list, we’re here to help. Read on to discover why you should use groups on WhatsApp, how to leave or delete them, and when you should consider getting rid of a group chat as part of your business communication strategy.

What are groups on WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business?

WhatsApp groups are chats with multiple people combined into one chat stream. In a group chat, participants can send messages that others can read in real time.

WhatsApp groups are closed chats, meaning that participants have to be invited to join and read the messages. One person will be an admin of the group, and will be able to add or remove people from the group if needed.

How are WhatsApp groups useful to businesses?

Group chats on WhatsApp Business can be an excellent way to communicate with multiple people at the same time. With so many people already using WhatsApp, it’s a convenient and time-efficient method for getting in touch with colleagues, clients or customers.

Group chats carry the same security features provided by WhatsApp Business, including end-to-end encryption to keep the recipient’s data safe and provide an extra layer of privacy.

So, how can businesses use WhatsApp group chats well?

Businesses can use group chats for team meetings

A team group chat can help employees to collaborate in real time, sharing information, asking questions and planning together for maximum efficiency.

Using WhatsApp for group chats can be very time efficient, allowing you to get across the information that your team needs to know, without taking up lots of their time and energy, as with a traditional meeting. It’s also a good way to meet flexible and remote working patterns of your employees.

Businesses can use group chats to keep clients or stakeholders updated

Businesses often need to update multiple clients or stakeholders with the same information, so sending it across in a WhatsApp group can save time, effort and energy in comparison to repeating the same news over and over again on the phone or in video calls.

Some businesses may also need to arrange services for two clients at the same time. This could include estate agents, who may need to liaise with two parties who are jointly viewing and purchasing a property,

Group chats make it easy to ensure that everyone is kept in the loop, without spending time doubling up on sending the same message in multiple ways.

Businesses can use group chats to arrange or schedule services

For businesses who provide their services to select groups of clients, group chats can be a brilliant way to schedule sessions and put everyone in the group in touch with each other.

For example, a personal trainer who has a regular group of clients who meet at the same time could use a group chat to confirm the date, time and location of a particular session. They could also send reminders, motivational messages or and preparation instructions to the group.

Other businesses who may find this feature helpful could be tutors or course instructors, who have a regular group of students to arrange classes with, or event planners, who need to ensure that multiple vendors are across schedules and details for a particular date.

As always, it’s important that businesses get opt-in permission from all participants before setting up the group chat. You’ll need to ensure that all the individuals are happy for their WhatsApp contact details to be shared with everyone else in the group.

How to leave a WhatsApp group

If you don’t want to delete a group, you can leave the group.

How to leave a WhatsApp group on Android and iPhone

Follow the steps below to exit a WhatsApp group. When you leave a group, the group admins will receive a notification, but the other members won’t. If you’re the only group admin, another member will be chosen at random to become the new admin for the group.

After leaving a group, your phone number and profile name will be visible in the Past Members list for up to 60 days. This can be found under Group Info. If your settings allow it, your profile photo may also appear here.

1. Open the WhatsApp app.
2. Choose the WhatsApp group chat that you want to leave, open the chat, then tap the group name.
3. Choose Exit Group, then Exit.

How to delete a WhatsApp group

If you’re the group admin, you can delete a group. This will delete the chat for all participants, and remove the group chat history from your device. Other participants will be able to see the group in their Chats tab, but won’t be able to send any messages to the group.

Make sure that you select the correct group, as you can’t restore a group after it’s been deleted!

How to delete a WhatsApp group on Android and iPhone

First, you need to remove all the group members, then you can leave the group, then finally delete it.

1. Open the WhatsApp app.
2. Select the WhatsApp group chat that you want to delete and tap on the group’s name.
3. You now need to remove all the participants from the group. Tap each participant’s name, then select Remove [Participant’s Name], then OK.
4. Once all the participants have been removed, you can leave the group. Choose Exit Group, then Exit.
5. Now you can delete the group. Tap the Delete Group Icon, then choose Delete Group. You can choose to keep the group media on your phone if you prefer – just check or uncheck Delete Media In This Chat when the option appears.

When is it best for a business to delete a group on WhatsApp Business?

It is generally good practice for a business to delete a WhatsApp group when it no longer serves a purpose for the business. This helps to reduce the amount of moderation that the business may be expected to do, without burning any bridges with individual customers or clients.

For example, if a course instructor has come to the end of their program with a particular group of students, it’s a good idea to delete the group as it will no longer be used to arrange meet ups or share information.

Before deleting the group, it’s good practice for the business to send a closing message. This could thank the participants, share any final information, and explain how and why the group chat will be closed down. It could also invite the participants to set up their own group (if wanted) or to opt-in for future marketing messages about similar products in the future.

Following these guidelines will help your business to stay on top of your chats by eliminating old, irrelevant group chats, while communicating effectively and professionally with your customers.

How we can help you get started on WhatsApp Business

Don’t have a dedicated phone number for your business yet? Still using your personal WhatsApp account for business purposes? You’re not alone – but unfortunately, it doesn’t make a great first impression from your customers’ perspectives.

If you use the same mobile number for your personal chats and your company comms too, you’re really missing out. Not only do your customers have no way to verify if you are who you say you are, you also face the risk of storing your personal and professional contacts in the same app. That means a higher risk of sending a potentially NSFW message to your clients or colleagues.

Not to mention all the opportunities you lose out on when you don’t use the tailor-built tools provided on WhatsApp Business to supercharge your productivity. That includes automation, categorisation, business profiles and catalogues that can help revolutionise the way you do business on WhatsApp.

So how can you get started with WhatsApp Business, without needing to buy a new mobile phone for work purposes?

Enter: YourBusinessNumber. In just three clicks, we’ll get you set up with a brand new unique mobile phone number that you can use to verify WhatsApp Business. And with low-cost, flexible payment plans, it’s a cost-effective alternative to traditional mobile phone contracts. So what are you waiting for? Generate your new second mobile phone number today and harness the power of WhatsApp Business to make your company’s life easier.