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WhatsApp Groups API Documentation (Chat ON Desk)
Chat ON Desk enables eligible businesses to create and manage WhatsApp Groups using the official WhatsApp Business Platform. Through the Chat ON Desk platform, businesses can automate WhatsApp group creation, send group invite links, manage participants, and communicate with customers while using Meta’s official infrastructure.
🔑 Key Features
- Create WhatsApp Groups directly from Chat ON Desk
- Generate Invite Links automatically
- Send messages to Group
- Manage Participants
- Remove Participants
- Manage Group Settings
❗ WhatsApp Groups API Limitations
| Feature | Limit / Details |
|---|---|
| Maximum Participants per Group | 8 participants (including 1 Business Account), as defined by Meta |
| Maximum Groups per Business Number | 10,000 Groups |
| Maximum Cloud API Businesses per Group | 1 Business Account |
| Group Join Method | Invite Link Only |
| Manual Participant Addition | Not Supported |
| Supported Message Types | Text, Images, Videos, Documents, Stickers, and Template Messages |
| Interactive Messages | Not Supported |
| Voice & Video Calling | Not Supported |
| Commerce Messages | Not Supported |
| Authentication Messages | Not Supported |
| View Once Messages | Not Supported |
| Disappearing Messages | Not Supported |
Participant Rules
Maximum Participants
Each WhatsApp Group can contain up to 8 participants.
Example:
- Customer 1
- Customer 2
- Customer 3
- Customer 4
- Customer 5
- Customer 6
- Customer 7
- Business Account
Total = 8 Participants.
Create a Group Invite Link Template Message
To invite users to a WhatsApp Group created through Chat ON Desk, businesses can send an approved Group Invite Link Template Message. The template includes a unique invite link that allows customers to join the group securely after accepting the invitation.
There are two ways to create a Group Invite Link Template Message:
1. Using WhatsApp Manager
The easiest method is through WhatsApp Manager, Meta’s web-based interface.
Steps
- Log in to WhatsApp Manager.
- Select your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).
- Navigate to Message Templates.
- Click Create Template.
- Choose the appropriate template category.
- Add your message content.
- Insert the Group Invite Link parameter.
- Submit the template for Meta approval.
- Once approved, use the template to send group invitations to customers.
2. Using Chat ON Desk Platform
Businesses using Chat ON Desk can automatically create Group Invite Link Template Messages, integrate them with CRM or ERP systems, and automate customer onboarding. Chat ON Desk securely communicates with the official WhatsApp Business Platform to deliver invitations and manage the workflow.
This method is ideal for businesses that need to:
- Automatically create templates
- Integrate with CRM or ERP systems
- Send invitations at scale
- Build custom onboarding workflows
If a Participant Leaves the Group
If a participant leaves or is removed from a group created through Chat ON Desk, they cannot rejoin the same group using the previous invite link. A new group may be required based on Meta’s policy.
Message Pricing
Groups created and managed through Chat ON Desk follow Meta’s official per-message pricing model. Charges are applied for each message delivered to each participant.
Example
| Item | Values |
|---|---|
| Total Participants in Group | 8 |
| Business Account (Sender) | 1 |
| Customer Recipients | 7 |
| Messages Sent by Businessd | 1 |
| Pricing Model | Per Delivered Recipient |
| Total Billable Messagess | 1 × 7 = 7 Messages |
So if 7 recipients receive the message, charges apply for each delivered recipient according to Meta’s country-specific message pricing.
Example:
1 Group Message
↓
Sent to 7 Participants
↓
7 Billable Messages
If you send:
- 10 group messages
- to 7 participants
Total billable messages:
10 × 7 = 70 messages
The exact cost depends on Meta’s per-message rate for the destination country and message category.
Supported Message Types
📩 Supported Message Types
| Message Type | Support Status |
|---|---|
| TText Messages | ✅ Supported |
| Images | ✅ Supported |
| Videos | ✅ Supported |
| Documents | ✅ Supported |
| Stickers | ✅ Supported |
| Template Messages | ✅ Supported |
| Media Template Messages | ✅ Supported |
🚫 Unsupported Message Types
| Feature / Message Type | Support Status |
|---|---|
| Interactive Buttons | ❌ Not Supported |
| List Messages | ❌ Not Supported |
| Authentication Messages | ❌ Not Supported |
| Voice Calls | ❌ Not Supported |
| Video Calls | ❌ Not Supported |
| Disappearing Messages | ❌ Not Supported |
| View Once Messages | ❌ Not Supported |
Typical Business Use Cases
The WhatsApp Groups API is suitable for:
- Customer onboarding
- VIP customer communities
- Employee communication
- Franchise support
- Dealer communication
- Healthcare care teams
- Educational mentoring
- Small project collaboration
Benefits of WhatsApp Groups API
- Manage WhatsApp Groups from Chat ON Desk
- Official WhatsApp Business Platform integration
- Secure business communication
- Automated group workflows
- Invite-only groups
- Centralized dashboard
- Webhook support
- Enterprise-grade automation
How Chat ON Desk Can Help
With Chat ON Desk, businesses can manage WhatsApp Groups from a single platform while using the official WhatsApp Business Platform.
Chat ON Desk provides:
- Create WhatsApp Groups
- Generate Group Invite Links
- Group API Integration
- WhatsApp Business API Setup
- AI Chatbot Integration
- CRM & ERP Integration
- Shared Team Inbox
- Broadcast Messaging
- Workflow Automation
- Analytics Dashboard
- Dedicated Technical Support
Conclusion
Chat ON Desk simplifies WhatsApp Group management by providing a single platform to create groups, generate invite links, automate messaging, and manage participants through the official WhatsApp Business Platform. Businesses can leverage Meta’s secure infrastructure while using Chat ON Desk for an easy, scalable, and efficient group communication experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
The WhatsApp Groups API is an official Meta capability that allows eligible businesses to create and manage WhatsApp Groups programmatically. Chat ON Desk helps businesses integrate and use this functionality where supported.
Any business using Chat ON Desk with the official WhatsApp Business Platform can use the WhatsApp Groups feature, provided the required setup and configuration are completed. Businesses can create groups, invite customers, and manage group communication through Chat ON Desk.
Yes. Chat ON Desk assists eligible businesses with setup and integration.
Currently, a group supports up to 8 participants according to the available API limitations.
No. Participants join using an approved invite link.
An eligible business can create up to 10,000 WhatsApp Groups using the WhatsApp Groups API, subject to Meta’s current platform limits and policies.
No. Participants can only join a WhatsApp Group using a valid Group Invite Link shared by the business or group administrator.
Yes. Businesses can automate WhatsApp Group creation through Chat ON Desk using the official WhatsApp Business Platform, helping streamline customer onboarding and group management.
Yes. Chat ON Desk supports workflow automation for eligible integrations.
Yes. Businesses can send text messages, media, documents, and supported template messages to all participants in the WhatsApp Group.
Yes. Images, videos, and documents are supported.
Yes. Businesses can send PDF documents and other supported files to WhatsApp Groups for sharing invoices, brochures, reports, user guides, and other important documents.
Yes. Businesses can send Meta-approved template messages in WhatsApp Groups for notifications, invitations, and other supported communication use cases.
No. Interactive button messages are currently not supported in WhatsApp Groups. Businesses can send standard text messages, images, videos, documents, stickers, and approved template messages, but interactive message types such as reply buttons and call-to-action buttons cannot be used within group conversations.
No. List Messages are currently not supported in WhatsApp Groups. Businesses cannot send interactive list menus within group conversations. Instead, they can communicate using supported message types such as text messages, images, videos, documents, stickers, and approved template messages.
No. Voice calling and video calling are currently not supported in WhatsApp Groups created through this feature. The Groups API is designed for business messaging and collaboration, allowing businesses to send text messages, images, videos, documents, and approved template messages instead of voice or video calls.
Yes. Group administrators can remove participants whenever required, and participants can also leave the group at any time. This gives businesses better control over group membership while allowing users the freedom to exit the group whenever they choose.
No. Once a participant leaves or exits a WhatsApp Group, they cannot rejoin the same group again. Businesses should ensure that only the intended participants are invited, as exiting the group permanently removes the user’s access to that group according to the current group behavior.