# Groups and join links

> Create a group for each WhatsApp group you run, then a join link that members tap to message your business number and join your community on Milvao.

Source: https://milvao.com/help/community/groups-and-join-links · Updated 2026-11-06

## Key takeaways

- A group in Milvao stands for one of your WhatsApp groups. It doesn't connect to, read or post in the WhatsApp group.
- A join link opens WhatsApp with JOIN and a code already typed. When a member sends it, they join that group in Milvao.
- The link is shown only once, when you create it. Copy it, or use Copy announcement for a ready message, and pin it in the WhatsApp group.
- Owners and operators can revoke a link at any time. Members who already joined stay joined.
- Guests who join by saving their profile have no link. The owner can pick a default group for them in Settings, Workspace.

A **group** in Milvao is a record for one of your WhatsApp groups, so you know which group each member came from. A **join link** is how members get in: they tap it in the WhatsApp group, send the message it prepares, and Milvao adds them to that group and sends them a profile link. Milvao never touches the WhatsApp group itself.

## Create a group

1. Open **Groups and links** and click **Add group**.
2. Enter a **Group name** (2 to 80 characters). Use the same name as the WhatsApp group, for example "Founders main group".
3. Add an optional **Note** for your team (up to 300 characters), for example who is in the group.
4. Click **Add group**.

Only your team sees the group name and note. Members see the group name in Milvao's WhatsApp replies, for example "You're now listed in "Founders main group"".

To change the name or note later, click the pencil button on the group's card, edit, and click **Save**.

## Create a join link

1. On the group's card, click **New link**.
2. Choose an **Expiry**: **Doesn't expire** (the default), **In 7 days**, **In 30 days** or **In 90 days**.
3. Click **Create link**.
4. In **Your invite link is ready**, copy the link:
   - **Copy link** copies the link on its own.
   - **Copy announcement** opens a ready message for the group chat with the group's name and the link. Edit it in the box if you like, then click **Copy announcement** under it. See [The announcement](#the-announcement).
   - Under **Message members send**, **Copy** copies just the JOIN text, for example `JOIN ABCD2345`.
5. Click **Done**, then pin the link in the WhatsApp group.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The link is shown only once. Milvao keeps only a fingerprint of the code, so nobody, including Milvao, can show it again. If you close the dialog without copying it, create a new link and revoke the unused one.

The link looks like `https://wa.me/91XXXXXXXXXX?text=JOIN%20ABCD2345`. Tapping it opens a chat with your business number with **JOIN ABCD2345** already typed. The member only has to press send.

Codes are 8 characters long and avoid letters and numbers that look alike, such as O and 0. Members can type the code by hand too. Capital letters, spaces and dashes don't matter.

### If your number isn't connected yet

The **Groups and links** page shows a notice while no business number is connected, with **Connect the number** for owners. You can add your groups straight away. Wait to create links until **Settings → WhatsApp number** shows **Active**: a link made before that has no number in it, so the dialog shows only the JOIN text with a note, and the link itself is shown only once. You can share that text and ask members to send it to your number once it's live, but a tap-to-message link made after the number is connected is simpler.

The page also warns you while you have no skills or no cities, with a link to **Skills and cities**. Add them before you share a link: members pick at least one skill and a city to finish their profile.

### If you haven't added skills or cities

Members choose at least one skill and a city to finish their profile, so links are of little use until both lists have entries. While either list is empty, the **Groups and links** page shows a reminder with a link to **Settings**. See [Skills and cities](/help/community/skills-and-cities).

## The announcement

Posting the link with a short explanation gets more people to join than the link on its own. **Copy announcement** fills in this message, which you can change before copying:

> Hello everyone. [group name] now has private member introductions.
>
> When you need a service or a contact, send a short request in a private chat. Members who can help get a private message about it, and phone numbers are shared only when both people say yes. Nothing is posted in this group, and nobody gets your number without your consent.
>
> To join, tap this link and send the message it opens:
> [link]
>
> It takes about a minute to set up your profile. You can stop any time by replying STOP.

If your number isn't connected yet, the announcement asks people to send the JOIN text to your number instead, and the button sits under **Message members send**.

To see how many people from your group lists have joined, import the lists. See [Importing members](/help/community/importing-members).

## The links list

Each group's card lists its links, newest first:

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| **Link** | `JOIN •••••` and the last 3 characters of the code, so you can tell links apart |
| **Created**, **Expires** | Dates in your community's time zone. **Never** if the link doesn't expire |
| **Status** | **Active**, **Expired** or **Revoked** |
| **Joins** | How many members joined the group with this link |

![Groups and links: each WhatsApp group with its join links, how many members joined from each, and expiry](https://milvao.com/screenshots/groups-light.webp "Groups and links, with each group's join links and joins (sample data)")

The card's header shows how many members the group has, then how many are verified, joined by link, and removed. Click the member count to open **Members** filtered to that group.

## What happens when someone sends JOIN

| Situation | What Milvao does | Reply the member gets |
|---|---|---|
| New member | Creates their member record, adds them to the group as **Joined by link** and sends a profile link | "Welcome to [community]. You're now listed in "[group]". Finish your profile so the organisers can introduce you to the right people. It takes a minute: [link] The link works for 60 minutes. Reply PROFILE for a new one, or HELP for options." |
| Existing member, new group | Adds the same member to this group too. Still one member, now in two groups | The same welcome, or "Your profile is already complete" if it is |
| Already in this group | Nothing changes. A verified member stays verified | "You're already in "[group]"." plus a profile link if the profile isn't finished |
| Removed from this group | Nothing changes. They stay removed | "An organiser removed you from "[group]", so this link can't add you back. Ask an organiser of the group to re-add you." |
| Link revoked, or group archived | Nothing is created | "That invite link has been turned off by the organisers. Ask them for a new one." |
| Link expired | Nothing is created | "That invite link has expired. Ask your organiser for a new one." |
| Code wrong or from another community | Nothing is created | "That invite code wasn't recognised. Check the link your organiser shared, or ask them for a new one." |

To stop people guessing codes, Milvao accepts up to 20 JOIN messages per phone number per hour. After that, JOIN messages get the "wasn't recognised" reply until the hour is up.

## Members who join without a link

A guest (someone who confirmed their number to contact one of your members) can become a member by sending **PROFILE** and saving their profile. They have no link, so no group comes with it. A member in no group is left out of public listings until they're in one.

The owner can fix that once in **Settings → Workspace → Default group for new members**: pick a group, or **None (leave them ungrouped)**, which is the default. With a group picked, every guest who joins by saving is added to it straight away, the same way a link would add them:

- They show as **Joined by link** (not verified) until you verify them.
- Anyone you removed from that group stays removed.
- The activity log shows **Joined the default group for new members**.

If you archive the default group, new members join no group until the owner picks another one or you restore it. Settings says so. See [Community settings](/help/team-and-settings/community-settings#default-group-for-new-members).

## Forwarded links

Anyone who has the link can use it, including people it was forwarded to outside the group. That's why members who join with a link are marked **Joined by link** until you verify them. See [Verifying and removing members](/help/community/verifying-members).

## Revoke a link

1. Click **Revoke** on the link's row.
2. Confirm with **Revoke link**.

The code stops working straight away. Anyone who sends it from now on is told the link has been turned off. Members who already joined stay in the group. Revoking can't be undone, so create a new link if you still need one.

> [!TIP]
> Revoke and replace a link if it was posted somewhere public, or every few months for a large group. Pin the new link in the group.

## Archive and restore a group

Click the archive button on the group's card. There's no confirmation step: the group is archived at once, and a message says "Group archived. Its links no longer work." with an **Undo** button for about 10 seconds.

All of the group's links stop working straight away, so nobody new can join through it. Members keep their profiles and their other groups. Archived groups move to the **Archived** list at the bottom of the page, with the date and member count.

- **Undo** (in the message, within 15 minutes of archiving) brings the group back with the links it had, so the link pinned in your WhatsApp group works again. Links that had expired stay expired.
- **Restore**, next to the group in **Archived**, brings the group back later. Its old links stay revoked, so create a new link to invite members again.

You can't create links for a group while it's archived. If it was the default group for new members, guests who join by saving their profile go into no group while it's archived.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Milvao add itself to my WhatsApp group?
No. Milvao never joins, reads or posts in groups. Members message your business number one to one.

### I lost the link
Create a new one and revoke the old one. Codes can't be shown again.

### How many links can a group have?
As many as you like. Some communities use one link per event or per month, so the **Joins** column shows which one worked.

### Can someone join without a link?
Only a guest, by sending **PROFILE** and saving their profile (see [Members who join without a link](#members-who-join-without-a-link)). Anyone else joins by sending a valid JOIN code. A person who messages your number without one gets a reply asking them to use the link their organiser shared.

### A member is in no group. How do I add them to one?
Open their page from **Members** and press **Add to group** on the **Groups** card. Choose the group and press **Add to group**. They're added as **Joined by link** (not yet verified), nothing is sent to them, and the toast has **Undo** if you picked the wrong group. Owners and operators can do this; the read-only support view can't. To stop members landing in no group in future, pick a default group in **Settings → Workspace**.

### Can I add a member back to a group I removed them from?
Not with **Add to group**: groups they were removed from aren't listed. On their page, press **Verify** on that group's row instead. That confirms they belong to the group again. Sending a link never adds them back on its own.