How many people can be in a WhatsApp group?

Up to about 1,000. WhatsApp describes the limit as 1,000 people on its groups page; for anything larger, use a community or a channel.

Can I add people who are not in my contacts?

Not from the member list, which only shows saved contacts. Send them the group’s invite link instead, and they can join from it.

Do group members see my phone number?

Yes, in most groups the members can see each other’s phone numbers. Anyone you do not want to share your number with should not be in the group.

Can I make someone else the owner if I leave?

Make another member an admin before you leave. Admins can add and remove people and change the settings you allowed them to.

WhatsApp guide

How to create a WhatsApp group

7 October 2026 · 3 min task · Tested

By Marta Kowalczyk

Marta Kowalczyk writes about design and creative apps for Appcyclopedia, working on a MacBook Air, an iPhone 16 Pro and a Galaxy A55.

Android
iOS

Short answer

Open WhatsApp and go to Chats. On Android, tap the three-dot menu and then New group. On iPhone, tap the new chat button and then New group. Pick the people to add, tap Next, type a group name and tap Create.

Some people may not appear: WhatsApp only lists contacts saved in your phone, and anyone who limits who can add them to groups has to be sent an invite link instead.

Below: the steps on each phone, the settings to change straight after, and how a group differs from a community or a broadcast list.

Start a WhatsApp group on Android or iPhone

To create a WhatsApp group, you start from the Chats tab on your phone. Only the first tap differs between Android and iPhone; from choosing members onwards the screens are the same.

Create the group

On Android, open the menu in Chats and tap New group

Open WhatsApp and stay on the Chats tab. Tap the three-dot menu at the top right, then New group. Your contact list opens with a search bar at the top.
On iPhone, tap the new chat button and then New group

Open WhatsApp and go to Chats. Tap the new chat button at the top right, then New group at the top of the list. Your contacts open with a search bar.
Choose the people to add

Tap each person you want in the group. They appear in a row at the top of the screen; tap one again to remove them. Only contacts saved in your phone are listed. Tap Next when you have everyone.
Name the group and add a picture

Type a group name. It is required and can be up to 100 characters. Tap the camera icon to add a group picture, or skip it for now. Tap Create, and the group opens with a note that you created it.
Set it up before people start talking

Open Group settings and decide who can edit the group

Tap the group name at the top of the chat, then Group settings or Group permissions. Turn off Edit group settings for members if only admins should change the name, picture and description. The same screen controls who can send messages and who can add others.
Share an invite link for anyone you could not add

In the group info, tap Invite to group via link. Copy the link or share it in another chat. Anyone with the link can join, so you can reset it later from the same screen if it reaches the wrong people.
Make a second person an admin

In the group info, tap a member and choose Make group admin. A second admin keeps the group running if you lose your phone or leave the group.

A typical case: a group called Class 4B parents with twenty people, where only admins can change the name and photo, and new members join through a link the teacher shares.

Decide who can edit the group before you share the link, because the default lets every member change the name and picture.

More about WhatsApp

Free messaging and calls from Meta, encrypted end to end by default.

Read WhatsApp’s profile →

When someone will not go into the group

A person is missing from the contact list: WhatsApp only lists contacts saved in your phone. Save their number in your phone’s contacts, then come back, or send them the invite link instead.
WhatsApp says it could not add someone: Their privacy setting limits who can add them to groups. WhatsApp offers to send them a private invite instead; they join if they accept it.
Members keep changing the group name or picture: Turn off Edit group settings for members in Group settings, so only admins can change them.
The group is full: A group holds a little over 1,000 people. For a larger audience, a WhatsApp Channel or a community with several groups fits better.

Group, community or broadcast list?

WhatsApp has three ways to message many people, and picking the wrong one is the most common reason a new group turns noisy.

You want	Use	What members can do
Everyone talks to everyone	A group	Read and reply to the whole group
Announcements to one list, replies to you only	A broadcast list	Reply privately; they do not see each other
Several related groups under one name	A community	Join the groups inside it and read its announcements
Updates to a public audience	A channel	Read only; no replies in the channel

For a family, a team or a class where people need to answer each other, a group is the right choice. For a club sending one message to fifty members, a broadcast list keeps everyone’s replies out of each other’s phones.

What admins control in a WhatsApp group

The person who creates a group is its first admin. Admins have powers that ordinary members do not, and the settings decide how much members can do.

Action	Admins	Members, by default
Change the name, picture and description	Yes	Yes, unless turned off
Send messages	Yes	Yes, unless only admins can send
Add new people	Yes	Depends on the group setting
Remove people	Yes	No
Make someone an admin	Yes	No
Reset the invite link	Yes	No

Turning off edits for members is the one change most groups need on day one. It stops the name and picture changing every week, and it takes ten seconds.

Settings to change straight after

A new group works as soon as you create it, but three small changes save trouble later.

Add a description. In the group info, tap Add group description and write what the group is for. New members see it when they join.
Mute it on your own phone if it gets busy. Tap the group name, then Notifications or Mute, and choose how long.
Turn on disappearing messages if the chat is temporary. In the group info, tap Disappearing messages and choose a time. Messages sent after that vanish when the time runs out.

The group is ready to use

Creating the group takes a minute. What keeps it useful is a clear name, a description, and a decision about who can change things.

Create it, turn off edits for members, add a second admin, then share the link. Everything else can be adjusted as the group grows.

For a team at work rather than friends or family, a Slack channel keeps conversations organised by topic.

Questions about running a WhatsApp group

How many people can be in a WhatsApp group?: Up to about 1,000. WhatsApp describes the limit as 1,000 people on its groups page; for anything larger, use a community or a channel.
Can I add people who are not in my contacts?: Not from the member list, which only shows saved contacts. Send them the group’s invite link instead, and they can join from it.
Do group members see my phone number?: Yes, in most groups the members can see each other’s phone numbers. Anyone you do not want to share your number with should not be in the group.
Can I make someone else the owner if I leave?: Make another member an admin before you leave. Admins can add and remove people and change the settings you allowed them to.

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Test log

Followed the steps? Tell us how it went on your device. Entries appear here after we check them.

Worked Every step, start to finish · Marta Kowalczyk and Elias Brandt Team 7 October 2026

I tested this

Steps performed and confirmed 7 October 2026 15 days ago

Changed since publishing

11 October 2026Correction: Corrected the test record to name who performed the steps, with each tester’s platform and device.
Before: Steps performed by Elias Brandt, on his phone.
Now: Steps performed by Marta Kowalczyk and Elias Brandt. The earlier record named only Elias. Marta ran the iPhone steps on an iPhone 16 Pro; Elias ran the Android steps on a Galaxy S25. Each tester is now listed with the platform and device they used.

Every change we have made →

When you need this

If you want one chat for your family, your team or a school class instead of sending the same message to everyone, create a WhatsApp group. A few settings are worth choosing the first time.

Describes: WhatsApp for Android · WhatsApp for iPhone
Takes: Two or three minutes
Platforms: Android · iOS
Published: 7 October 2026
Facts checked: 7 October 2026

Steps repeated and verified by Marta Kowalczyk and Elias Brandt on 7 Oct 2026, 11:42 AM EDT