WhatsApp public group links appear in the beta branch

WhatsApp group chats look set to receive a much sought after feature in the near future. The ability to share link invitations to public groups has just been updated in the beta branch and should be heading to the main app in the near future. The update also throws in a quick button for forwarding media to other contacts as well.

The new features have been spotted in version 2.16.281. After the update, WhatsApp group admins can invite people to their group through a new “invite to group via link” option that appears at the top of the contacts list. This creates a unique link to the chat, which you can then share with anyone you would like. The link can also be revoked, just in case it makes its way into the wrong hands.

To supplement the new link feature, there’s also a new QR Code generator that you can print out your link, and the ability to write your chat link directly to an NFC tag using your phone. While unlikely to be useful for day to day contacts, these feature might be handy for those looking to create WhatsApp groups for sports teams, meetups, and what have you.

See also: WhatsApp planning a passcode protection feature14

Along with the group chat update, the latest WhatsApp beta also contains a new quick forward button for media. This little icon now appears next to every image, video, and link that you’re sent, so that you can quickly forward them to another WhatsApp conversion if you wish.

If you want to try out the latest WhatsApp beta, you can either sign up to the Play Store beta and wait for the version to appear, or head on over to APK Mirror to manually install the update.