Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg today announced a new feature for WhatsApp that allows users to create groups without names. In a recent Facebook post, Zuckerberg said the functionality could come in handy when you’re in a rush and don’t have the time or bandwidth to name a group.
Also, a nameless group with up to 6 participants will now be dynamically named based on who is in the group. For example, if there are two participants in a group called ‘Mat’ and ‘Lupin’, WhatsApp will automatically label the conversation as ‘Matt and Lupin’.
WhatsApp explains that the feature protects user privacy with the group name displayed separately for each participant, based on how they put the person’s name in their device’s communications. If you join a group you don’t have contact with, they’ll only be able to see your phone number in the group.
The ability to create anonymous groups will be rolling out to everyone in the coming weeks, so you may have to wait a while. In the past few weeks, WhatsApp developers have introduced a number of new features to the instant messaging platform, such as the ability to send photos in HD, edit captions for sent media, and a new AI-powered sticker generation tool.