Group management

Updated: May 21, 2026

Overview

The Groups API gives you simple functions to control groups through their lifecycle.

When you create a new group, an invite link is created for inviting participants to the group.

Since you cannot manually add participants to the group, simply send a message with your invite link to WhatsApp users who you would like to join the group.

Group management features

• Create and delete group
• Groups with join requests enabled
• Get and reset group invite link
• Send group invite link template message
• Remove group participants
• Get group info
• Get active groups
• Update group settings

To learn how to message groups, view the Group Messaging reference.

Subscribe to groups metadata webhooks

In order to receive webhook notifications for metadata about your groups, please subscribe to the following webhook fields:

• group_lifecycle_update
• group_participants_update
• group_settings_update
• group_status_update

For a full reference of webhooks for the Groups API, please visit our Webhooks for Groups API reference.

Create group

Use this endpoint to create a new group and generate a group invite link.

Once the group is created, you will receive a webhook with an invite_link parameter that contains an invite link for the group. You can send this invite link to WhatsApp users interested in joining the group.

Optionally, you can create a group that requires join approval. This means that if a WhatsApp user wants to join your group, you can approve or reject their request.

Learn more about groups with join requests enabled.

Request syntax

Create a group with an initial group invite link:

POST /<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/groups

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "subject": "<GROUP_SUBJECT>",  
  "description": "<GROUP_DESCRIPTION>",  
  "join_approval_mode": "<JOIN_APPROVAL_MODE>"  
}

Request parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID> String	Required Business phone number ID.	12784358810
<GROUP_SUBJECT> String	Required Group subject. Maximum 128 characters. Whitespace is trimmed.	New Purchase Inquiry
<GROUP_DESCRIPTION> String	Optional Group description. Maximum 2048 characters.	Jim, an existing client, would like to learn about new car purchase options for current year models.
<JOIN_APPROVAL_MODE> String	Optional Indicates if WhatsApp users who click the invitation link can join the group with or without being approved first. Values can be: * approval_required — Indicates WhatsApp users must be approved via join request before they can access the group. * auto_approve — Indicates WhatsApp users can join the group without approval. If omitted, join_approval_mode is set to auto_approve by default.	auto_approve

Webhooks

A group_lifecycle_update webhook is triggered.

Group create succeed

View the "Group create succeed" sample webhook

Group create fail

View the "Group create fail" sample webhook

User joins group using invite link

View the "User joins group using invite link" sample webhook

Groups with join requests

You can create groups that require join request approval. Once enabled, WhatsApp users who click the group invitation link can submit a request to join the group, or cancel a prior request:

When a WhatsApp user joins the group using a join request, a group_participants_update webhook for a user accepting the join request is triggered. You can also get a list of open join requests via API. Use the contents of the webhook or API response to approve or reject requests.

Get join requests

Request syntax

GET /<GROUP_ID>/join_requests

Request parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required. Group ID.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxNzA1NTU1MDEzOToxMjAzNjM0MDQ2OTQyMzM4MjAZD

Response syntax

Upon success:

{  
  "data": [  
    {  
      "join_request_id": "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
      "wa_id": "<WHATSAPP_USER_ID>",  
      "creation_timestamp": "<JOIN_REQUEST_CREATION_TIMESTAMP">  
    },  
    //Additional join request objects would follow, if any  
  ],  
  "paging": {  
    "cursors": {  
      "before": "<BEFORE_CURSOR>",  
      "after": "<AFTER_CURSOR>"  
    }  
  }  
}

Response parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<JOIN_REQUEST_ID> String	Join request ID.	MTY0NjcwNDM1OTU6MTIwMzYzNDA0Njk0MjMzODIw
<WHATSAPP_USER_ID> String	WhatsApp user ID.	16505551234
<JOIN_REQUEST_CREATION_TIMESTAMP> Integer	Unix timestamp indicating when the join request was created.	1755548877
<BEFORE_CURSOR> String	Before cursor. See Paginated Results.	eyJvZAmZAzZAXQiOjAsInZAlcnNpb25JZACI6IjE3NTU1NTM3MDUxNzUwNTQ1MTAifQZDZD
<AFTER_CURSOR> String	After cursor. See Paginated Results.	eyJvZAmZAzZAXQiOjAsInZAlcnNpb25JZACI6IjE3NTU1NTM3MDUxNzUwNTQ1MTAifQZDZD

Approve join requests

Request syntax

POST /<GROUP_ID>/join_requests

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "join_requests": [  
    "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
    // Additional join request IDs would go here, if approving in bulk  
  ]  
}

Request parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required. Group ID.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxNzA1NTU1MDEzOToxMjAzNjM0MDQ2OTQyMzM4MjAZD

Response syntax

Upon success, the API will respond with the following JSON payload, and WhatsApp users whose join requests were approved will be able to access the group when tapping the invite link.

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "approved_join_requests": [  
    "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
    // Additional join request IDs would go here, it approved in bulk  
  ],  
  
  //Only included if unable to approve one or more join requests  
  
  "failed_join_requests": [  
    {  
      "join_request_id": "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
      "errors": [  
        {  
          "code": "<ERROR_CODE>",  
          "message": "<ERROR_MESSAGE>",  
          "title": "<ERROR_TITLE>",  
          "error_data": {  
            "details": "<ERROR_DETAILS>"  
          }  
        }  
      ]  
    }  
  ],  
  "errors": [  
    {  
      "code": "<ERROR_CODE>",  
      "message": "<ERROR_MESSAGE>",  
      "title": "<ERROR_TITLE>",  
      "error_data": {  
        "details": "<ERROR_DETAILS>"  
      }  
    }  
  ]  
}

Response parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<JOIN_REQUEST_ID> String	ID of approved join request, or ID of failed join request, if the request could not be approved.	MTY0NjcwNDM1OTU6MTIwMzYzNDA0Njk0MjMzODIw
<ERROR_CODE> Integer	Error code, if unable to approve.	131203
<ERROR_MESSAGE> String	Error message, if unable to approve.	(#131203) Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
<ERROR_TITLE> String	Error title, if unable to approve.	Unable to add participant to group
<ERROR_DETAILS> String	Error details, if unable to approve.	Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Webhook

A group_participants_update webhook is triggered.

View the "User accepts join request" sample webhook

Reject join requests

Request syntax

DELETE /<GROUP_ID>/join_requests

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "join_requests": [  
    "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
    //Additional join request IDs would go here, it rejecting in bulk  
  ]  
}

Request parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required. Group ID.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxNzA1NTU1MDEzOToxMjAzNjM0MDQ2OTQyMzM4MjAZD
<JOIN_REQUEST_ID> String	Required. ID of join request to reject.	MTY0NjcwNDM1OTU6MTIwMzYzNDA0Njk0MjMzODIw

Response syntax

Upon success, the API will respond with the following JSON payload, and the WhatsApp user will see the Request to join button again when accessing the group invite link.

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "rejected_join_requests": [  
    "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
    //Additional join request IDs would go here, it rejecting in bulk  
  ],  
  
  //Only included if unable to reject one or more join requests  
  "failed_join_requests": [  
    {  
      "join_request_id": "<JOIN_REQUEST_ID>",  
      "errors": [  
        {  
          "code": "<ERROR_CODE>",  
          "message": "<ERROR_MESSAGE>",  
          "title": "<ERROR_TITLE>",  
          "error_data": {  
            "details": "<ERROR_DETAILS>"  
          }  
        }  
      ]  
    }  
  ],  
  "errors": [  
    {  
      "code": "<ERROR_CODE>",  
      "message": "<ERROR_MESSAGE>",  
      "title": "<ERROR_TITLE>",  
      "error_data": {  
        "details": "<ERROR_DETAILS>"  
      }  
    }  
  ]  
}

Response parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<JOIN_REQUEST_ID> String	ID of rejected join request, or ID of failed join request, if the request could not be rejected.	MTY0NjcwNDM1OTU6MTIwMzYzNDA0Njk0MjMzODIw
<ERROR_CODE> Integer	Error code, if unable to reject.	131203
<ERROR_MESSAGE> String	Error message, if unable to reject.	(#131203) Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
<ERROR_TITLE> String	Error title, if unable to reject.	Unable to add participant to group
<ERROR_DETAILS> String	Error details, if unable to reject.	Recipient has not accepted our new Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Webhook

None.

Get and reset group invite link

Once an invite link is reset, all previous invite links will become invalid.

An invite link for the group is generated when the group is created. Use these endpoints to get and reset group invite links.

For each endpoint, you will need your group ID in order to get or reset a link for the correct group as follows:

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required The ID of the group you want to get or reset an invite link for.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxOTUwNTU1MDA3OToxMjAzNjMzOTQzMjAdOTY0MTUZD

Get group invite link

Request syntax

GET /<GROUP_ID>/invite_link

Response body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "invite_link": "https://chat.whatsapp.com/<LINK_ID>"  
}

Note that invite_link always begins with the prefix https://chat.whatsapp.com/. The only variable portion is <LINK_ID>.

Reset group invite link

Request syntax

POST /<GROUP_ID>/invite_link

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
}

Response body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "invite_link": "https://chat.whatsapp.com/<LINK_ID>"  
}

Send group invite link template message

Template Library⁠ contains a utility message template for sending group invite links to WhatsApp users. Use these pre-defined templates to send group invitations as utility messages.

In order to keep the template priced as utility, you cannot modify it when you copy it from template library to your WABA.

To send the template message:

Step 1. Add a group invite link template in Template Library to your account templates:

In WhatsApp Manager

• Navigate to Template Library⁠
• On the left, click the Group invite link dropdown, then click the Group invite upon request checkbox.
• Select the template you want to use, give it a name, and click Submit.

Via the API

You can query template libraries applicable to group invite links using the request below:

GET /message_template_library?category=utility&topic=group_invite_link&language=en

Read more about finding and adding the template to your WABA via the API

Template approval may require up to 24 hours. You'll be able to send messages with this template after its approval.

Step 2. Send the template message

• Send the template using the request syntax and body below, substituting your group ID, the name you gave your template, and other applicable values.

When you provide the group ID in the API request, it will be automatically translated into the corresponding group invite link upon message delivery.

Request syntax

POST /<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages

Endpoint parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID> Integer	Required Business phone number ID.	13057863445

Request body

curl --location 'https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/messages?access_token=' \  
      --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \  
      --data '{  
        "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
        "to": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER>",  
        "type": "template",  
        "template": {  
          "name": "<TEMPLATE_NAME>",  
          "language": {  
            "code": "<TEMPLATE_LANGUAGE>"  
          },  
          "components": [  
            {  
              "type": "body",  
              "parameters": [  
                {  
                  "type": "group_id",  
                  "group_id": "<GROUP_ID>"  
                },  
                {  
                  ...additional parameters  
                }  
              ]  
            }  
          ]  
        }  
      }'

Learn more about Template Library

Webhooks

User joins group using invite link

View the "User joins group using invite link" sample webhook

Delete group

This endpoint deletes the group and removes all participants, including the business. No request body is required.

Request syntax

DELETE /<GROUP_ID>

Request properties

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required The ID of the group you want to delete.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxOTUwNTU1MDA3OToxMjAzNjMzOTQzMjAdOTY0MTUZD

Webhooks

A group_lifecycle_update webhook is triggered.

Delete group succeed

View the "Delete group succeed" sample webhook

Delete group fails

View the "Delete group fails" sample webhook

Remove group participants

Use this endpoint to remove participants from the group.

Note: If a participant is removed from a group, they can no longer join the group via an invite link.

Request syntax

DELETE /<GROUP_ID>/participants

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "participants": [  
    { "user": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER> or <WHATSAPP_USER_ID>" },  
    { "user": "<WHATSAPP_USER_PHONE_NUMBER> or <WHATSAPP_USER_ID>"" },  
    ...  
  ]  
}

Request properties

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
"participants": [] Array	Optional Specifies an array of phone numbers or WhatsApp IDs of WhatsApp accounts. The business phone number used to create the group is always added to the group as the creator and admin. * Maximum 8 participants. * The array cannot be empty.	{ "user": "+17865347866" }, { "user": "+7669992245" }, ...

Webhooks

A group_participants_update webhook is triggered.

Group participant leaves

View the "Group participant leaves" sample webhook

Get group info

Use this endpoint to retrieve metadata about a single group.

Note: Specifying no fields in the query parameters will just return the group ID and messaging product.

Request syntax

GET /<GROUP_ID>?fields=<FIELDS>

Endpoint parameters

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<GROUP_ID> String	Required The ID of the group you are querying info from.	Y2FwaV9ncm91cDoxOTUwNTU1MDA3OToxMjAzNjMzOTQzMjAdOTY0MTUZD
<FIELDS> String	Optional A comma-separated list of fields to return. If no fields are passed in, only the group ID is returned.	"subject,description,participants,join_approval_mode" Learn more about Graph API fields here

Available fields

Field	Description	Sample Return Value
join_approval_mode String	Indicates if WhatsApp users who click the invitation link can join the group with or without being approved first. Values can be: * approval_required — Indicates WhatsApp users must be approved via join request before they can access the group. * auto_approve — Indicates WhatsApp users can join the group without approval.	auto_approve
subject String	The subject for the group.	"Artificial Intelligence Insights"
description String	The group description, if set during creation time.	"Explore AI developments, share knowledge, and discuss the future of artificial intelligence with fellow enthusiasts and experts."
suspended Boolean	Returns true if the group has been suspended by WhatsApp.	false
creation_timestamp Integer	UNIX timestamp in seconds at which the group was created.	683731200
participants List	A list of objects {"wa_id": "<WA_ID>"}, where <WA_ID> is a participant in the group being queried.	[{"wa_id": "2228675309"}, {"wa_id": "7693349922"}]
total_participant_count Integer	The total number of participants in the group, excluding your business.	6

Sample response

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "id": "<GROUP_ID>",  
  "subject": "<SUBJECT>",  
  "creation_timestamp": "<TIMESTAMP>",  
  "suspended": "<SUSPENDED>",  
  "description": "<DESCRIPTION>",  
  "total_participant_count": "<TOTAL_PARTICIPANT_COUNT>",  
  "participants": [  
    {  
      "wa_id": "<WA_ID>"  
    },  
    {  
      "wa_id": "<WA_ID>"  
    }  
  ],  
  "join_approval_mode": "<JOIN_APPROVAL_MODE>"  
}

Get active groups

Use this endpoint to retrieve a list of active groups for a given business phone number.

Request syntax

GET /<BUSINESS_PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/groups

Query parameters

?limit=<LIMIT>, // Optional  
&after=<AFTER_CURSOR>, // Optional  
&before=<BEFORE_CURSOR> // Optional

Parameter	Description
<LIMIT> Optional	Number of groups to fetch in the request. Min: 1
<BEFORE_CURSOR> Optional	Cursor that points to the beginning of a page of data. Learn more about Paginated Results in Graph API here
<AFTER_CURSOR> Optional	Cursor that points to the end of a page of data. Learn more about Paginated Results in Graph API here

Response object

{  
  "data": {  
    "groups": [  
      {"id": "GROUP_ID", "subject": SUBJECT, "created_at": "TIMESTAMP"},  
      {"id": "GROUP_ID", "subject": SUBJECT, "created_at": "TIMESTAMP"}  
      …  
    ]  
  },  
  "paging": {  
    "cursors": {  
      "after": "MTAxNTExOTQ1MjAwNzI5NDE=",  
      "before": "NDMyNzQyODI3OTQw"  
    },  
    "previous": "https://graph.facebook.com/VERSION/PHONE_NUMBER_ID/groups?limit=10&before=NDMyNzQyODI3OTQw",  
    "next": "https://graph.facebook.com/VERSION/PHONE_NUMBER_ID/groups?limit=25&after=MTAxNTExOTQ1MjAwNzI5NDE="  
  }  
}

Response parameters

Parameter	Description
data[groups] List	A list of groups, each containing the group ID, group subject, and UNIX timestamp for group creation.
paging Object	A pagination object. Learn more about Paginated Results in Graph API here

Update group settings

Use this webhook to update your group's subject, description, and photo.

Request syntax

POST /<GROUP_ID>

Request body

{  
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",  
  "subject": "<GROUP_SUBJECT>",  
  "profile_picture_file": "<FILE_PATH>",  
  "description": "<GROUP_DESCRIPTION>"  
}

Request properties

Note

Placeholder	Description	Sample Value
<FILE_PATH> String	Optional A path to an image file stored in your local directory. To upload a file: Follow the same request structure as the Upload Media endpoint. Sample file upload cURL: curl 'https://graph.facebook.com/v23.0/<GROUP_ID> \ -X POST \ -H 'Authorization: Bearer ...' \ -F 'messaging_product=whatsapp' \ -F 'file=@/media/pictures/square_pic.png' Group profile picture requirement: * Only support mime type image/jpeg * Maximum size: 5MB * Image should be in square, that is, height = width. * Minimum size: 192 x 192	/local/path/file.jpg
<GROUP_SUBJECT> String	Optional The new subject for the group. * Maximum length: 128 characters. * Must not be empty if provided.	"Watch Enthusiasts"
<GROUP_DESCRIPTION> String	Optional The new description for the group. * Max length: 2048 characters	"Join our community to discuss the latest timepieces, share watch reviews, and connect with fellow horology enthusiasts."

Webhooks

A group_settings_update webhook is triggered.

Group settings update succeed

View the "Group settings update succeed" sample webhook.

Group settings update partial fail

View the "Group settings update partial fail" sample webhook.

Group settings update total fail

View the "Group settings update total fail" sample webhook.

Group message status webhooks

When you send a message to a group, you receive a status messages webhook when the message is delivered or read by group participants.

Status webhooks for individual group participants may be aggregated into a single webhook containing multiple status objects in the statuses array. However, aggregation is not guaranteed. If multiple participants' statuses are generated at approximately the same time, they may be combined into a single webhook. If statuses are generated at different times, you may receive separate webhooks for each participant.

Each webhook only ever references a single message sent to a single group and a single status type (for example, delivered). Statuses for different messages, groups, or status types are never combined into a single webhook.

For the full webhook payload reference, see the status messages webhook reference.

Pricing information

Status messages webhooks that contain pricing information will have <CONVERSATION_CATEGORY> set to one of:

• group_marketing — Indicates a group marketing conversation.
• group_utility — Indicates a group utility conversation.
• group_service — Indicates a group service conversation.