# Community settings

> Your community's matching mode, name, time zone, bot language and default group, plus your team, skills and cities, and your WhatsApp business number.

Source: https://milvao.com/help/team-and-settings/community-settings · Updated 2026-11-06

## Key takeaways

- The owner changes the matching mode and community details. Operators see them read-only.
- Matching is Automatic by default. The owner can switch to Approve each match at any time.
- Owners and operators can both manage skills and cities.
- The owner can pick a default group for guests who join by saving their profile. By default there is none.
- The owner can connect the business number from Settings, or Milvao staff can connect it. Its status shows here.

**Settings** holds the choices that shape how your community works on Milvao. The owner can change everything, including connecting the business number. Operators see the same sections, read-only, except **Skills and cities**, which they can manage too, and their own team profile and notifications.

## Find your way around Settings

Settings has a menu of sections on the left (on a phone, a row of buttons you can swipe across the top). Each section has its own address, so you can bookmark it or share the link with your team.

![Settings, Workspace section: community name, time zone, matching mode and how profile questions are asked](https://milvao.com/screenshots/settings-workspace-light.webp "Settings, with its sections on the left (sample data)")

| Group | Section | What's there |
|---|---|---|
| Community | **Workspace** | Community name, time zone, reply language, the matching mode and the default group for new members |
| | **WhatsApp number** | The status of your business number and the guided steps to connect it. See [Connect your WhatsApp number](/help/team-and-settings/connect-your-whatsapp-number) |
| | **Team** | Owner, operators, invites and team profiles. See [Roles and your team](/help/team-and-settings/roles-and-team) |
| Members | **Skills and cities** | The lists members pick from. See [Skills and cities](/help/community/skills-and-cities) |
| | **Profile questions** | Extra questions for members. See [Profile questions](/help/community/profile-questions) |
| | **Mini-site** | Your public community page and directory. See [Mini-site and directory](/help/community/mini-site-and-directory) |
| You | **Notifications** | Your own email and WhatsApp alerts. See [Notifications](/help/team-and-settings/notifications) |
| Privacy and data | **Data requests**, **Support access**, **Activity log**, **Export data** | See [Data requests](/help/team-and-settings/data-requests), [Support access](/help/team-and-settings/support-access) and [Exports and activity log](/help/team-and-settings/exports-and-activity-log) |

Small labels next to a section tell you when something needs a look: **Choose** next to Workspace until a matching mode is picked (owners only, since only the owner can pick it), the number's status next to WhatsApp number (**Live**, **Testing**, **Setting up**, **Fix**, **Not set**), open or overdue data requests, and **On** while support access is switched on.

## Matching

How a confirmed request finds the right member. Only the owner can change it.

| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| **Automatic** (default) | Milvao offers each confirmed request to the best-fitting member, one at a time, and moves to the next if they decline or don't reply in 48 hours |
| **Approve each match** | You pick the member before anyone is asked. Milvao suggests the best fits with reasons |

**The same in both:**

- The member confirms their brief before anyone is asked.
- Only members who turned on introduction requests are asked.
- Numbers are shared only after both sides say yes.
- At most 2 requests per member per week, and 3 members per request.

In **Automatic** mode, Milvao hands a request to your team when the brief is unclear, when no member fits, or when 3 members declined or didn't reply. Those requests show under **Requests** as "Needs your attention".

### Choose or change the mode

1. Open **Settings**. Until you choose, the **Matching** card is highlighted with **Choose one**.
2. Select **Automatic** or **Approve each match**.
3. Click **Save choice** the first time, or **Save change** after that.

Saving completes the **Choose how matches are made** step on the **Overview** checklist, even if you keep the default. The badge at the top of **Overview** shows the current mode: **Automatic matching** or **You approve matches**. Every change is recorded in Milvao's audit log.

Requests and introductions are being rolled out now. You can choose your mode today, and it applies as soon as requests reach your community. See [Matching modes](/help/requests/matching-modes).


## Workspace

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Community name** | Shown to members in Milvao's WhatsApp messages and on their profile page. 2 to 80 characters |
| **Time zone** | Used for dates in the dashboard, the daily summary and monthly counts such as **Introductions this month**. Default **India (UTC+5:30)**. Every time zone in the world is available: click the box and type a country, city or offset, for example `dubai`, `new york` or `5:45`. Common time zones are listed first, then all of them by region, each with its current UTC offset (daylight saving included) |
| **Bot reply language** | Language of Milvao's replies to members. **English** during pilots. Hindi is listed as coming later. Members can write in English or Hinglish either way |

Click **Save changes** after editing. You see "Settings saved."



## Default group for new members

Guests who join by saving their profile (see [Contact requests](/help/requests/contact-requests)) have no invite link, so they land in no group. A member in no group is left out of public listings until they're in one.

On **Settings → Workspace**, the **Default group for new members** card lets the owner pick one of your groups, or **None (leave them ungrouped)**, which is the default.

1. Pick a group from **Default group for new members**.
2. Click **Save default group**. The message has an **Undo** button for about 10 seconds.

With a group picked, every guest who joins by saving their profile is added to it at once, the same way its invite link would add them: marked **Joined by link** until you verify them, and anyone you removed from that group stays removed. Members who join with a link go to that link's group as before. People who are already members aren't moved.

If the group is archived, new members join no group until the owner picks another one or restores it on **Groups and links**, and the card says so. Operators and Milvao support see the choice read-only. Each change is recorded in the **Activity log**.

## Team

The owner, operators and pending invites. See [Roles and your team](/help/team-and-settings/roles-and-team).

## Skills and cities

The lists members pick from on their profile. See [Skills and cities](/help/community/skills-and-cities).

## WhatsApp number

**Settings → WhatsApp number** shows your number, its status and the checks below, with a step-by-step guide for Meta's screens and a form that checks everything (owner only). See [Connect your WhatsApp number](/help/team-and-settings/connect-your-whatsapp-number). Milvao staff can also connect it for you.

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| **Being set up** | The number is saved, but not every check has passed yet |
| **Testing** | Connected. Milvao staff are checking inbound and outbound messages before going live |
| **Active** | Your number is receiving and sending messages |
| **Needs attention** | Messages may not be getting through. Reply to your onboarding email and Milvao staff will help |
| **Turned off** | Messaging is turned off for this workspace |

The checks are **Receiving messages** and **Sending replies**, each with the date it was confirmed, and how many message templates are approved. Templates are pre-approved message formats WhatsApp needs for some messages Milvao sends first.

If it says "No number connected yet", the owner can connect it, or Milvao staff will during pilot setup.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I switch matching modes later?
Yes, at any time. Only the owner can.

### Why can't I edit these settings?
Only the owner can change the matching mode, the default group for new members and workspace details. Operators see "Only the owner can change this." Ask your owner.

### Can I use my own WhatsApp number?
Yes. Your community's own business number is used, connected through the official WhatsApp Business Platform. The owner connects it in **Settings → WhatsApp number**, or Milvao staff connect it with you. To pick the right number first, see [Choosing a number for your community](/help/team-and-settings/choosing-a-number-for-your-community).