Believe it or not, Malaysian’s use Whatsapp more than any other nation on the planet. And why not, right? It’s a great messaging app that’s pretty much no frills. I still remember the time I got that notification notifying me that my one year Whatsapp trial was going to be extended by, well, a lifetime. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment! Oh, how fare we’ve come since then.

Jokes aside though, the only recurring problem I’ve had with Whatsapp is the fact that any Tom, Dick and Harry can add me into a group chat.

Of course, there are group chats with your close friends and immediate family members that you honestly don’t really want to be in but you’d look like a d*** if you leave so you stay. Then of course, there’s the annoying spam group chats that a friend of a friend of a friend added you into for some obscure reason that makes zero sense to you but you now wake up to 100+ messages because of it. Those are the worst. Try working in a co-working space and being added into it’s group chat. It’s hell.

That being said, Whatsapp is now giving you a solid shield against the swords that are random group chat invitations. The messaging app has introduced a new privacy setting and invite system to help you decide who can add you to groups.

To enable it, go to Settings in your app, then tap Account > Privacy > Groups and select one of three options: “Everyone,” “My Contacts,” or “My Contacts Except. This new option gives you the freedom to decide who gets to drag you into hell a new group. This essentially makes group chats consensual, which is a BIG win.