What are WhatsApp Groups
Learn how to use and manage WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick, including eligibility, plans, limits, supported messages, group management features, and fetching group chat history through the public API.
WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick let businesses create small, invite-only groups using their Cloud API business number. This article explains who can use them, plan availability, limits, supported message types (including media specifications), how to manage groups, and the business benefits, so you understand the feature clearly before using it.
What's covered
What are WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick
WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick are not regular WhatsApp mobile app groups. Instead, they are:
Created using your official Cloud API number
Designed for structured business communication
Centrally managed through DoubleTick
Limited in size to keep discussions focused
They work as private business discussion spaces for selected customers, partners, or stakeholders.
Eligibility requirements
To use WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick, your business must:
Use a Cloud API number (not in Coexistence mode with the WhatsApp Business App)
Be an Official Business Account (OBA)
If your number does not meet these requirements, group creation will not be available.
Plans and group availability
PRO
5 groups included
ENTERPRISE
5 groups included
STANDARD / STARTER
0 groups
Starter users must upgrade to PRO to create groups.
If you reach your group limit, you will see a prompt to increase your limit or manage existing groups.
Additional groups are charged at ₹50 per group per month.
The first 5 groups in PRO and Enterprise are included.
Group limits and restrictions
Maximum participants per group
8
Maximum groups per business number
10,000
Maximum Cloud API businesses per group
1
Groups are invite-only.
Participants must join through a generated invite link.
Removing a participant prevents them from rejoining using the same link.
Deleting groups and pinning messages are currently not available inside DoubleTick.
Supported message types
Inside WhatsApp Groups, you can send:
Text messages
Media messages
Text-based templates
Media-based templates
Participants can reply inside the group like a standard WhatsApp conversation.
Media formats and size limits
When sending media messages, the following formats and limits apply:
Images: JPG, JPEG, and PNG, up to 5 MB.
Videos: MP4, up to 16 MB.
Documents: PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, XLSX, TXT, and other standard WhatsApp-supported formats, up to 100 MB.
Audio: AAC, MP4, MPEG, AMR, and OGG, up to 16 MB.
If a file exceeds the size limit or is in an unsupported format, the message will fail to send.
Message info in WhatsApp Groups
You can see how your message is performing inside a group using Message Info. After sending a message, you'll see three simple stats:
Sent to: How many members the message was sent to
Delivered to: How many members received the message
Read by: How many members have read it
For example, say there are 6 people in a group (1 admin and 5 members). If you send a message and it reaches 5 members, is delivered to 4, and is read by 2, your message info will look like this:
Sent to: 5 | Delivered to: 4 | Read by: 2
Managing groups
DoubleTick offers a set of management features for WhatsApp Groups, so you can manage them the same way you already manage regular chats.
Add tags to a group: Tag a WhatsApp Group just like you tag individual chats. Tags help you categorize and filter groups quickly, for example by region, account type, or campaign. Available on Web app, Android, and iOS.
Mark as Done: Once a group conversation is resolved, mark it as done. This keeps your group list clean and helps your team stay focused on active discussions. Available on Web app, Android, and iOS.
Assign a group to a team member: Assign a WhatsApp Group to a specific team member, just like assigning a chat. This makes ownership clear when managing multiple groups across a team. Available on Web app, Android, and iOS.
Internal notes: Leave internal notes on WhatsApp Group conversations, the same way you do in 1:1 chats. These notes are visible only to your team inside DoubleTick, and group members never see them. You can tag teammates using @mentions. Teams use this to leave handover context, loop in a specialist, flag sensitive accounts, or record internal decisions without cluttering the group. Available on Web app.
Custom fields: Track details like order status, group type, priority level, lead stage, or any custom field your team already uses, directly on the group from the Group Details panel. For example, a support team running a group for each enterprise client can track the Client ID, company name, and support query type and status, so anyone opening the group knows where things stand. Available on Web app.
AI Chat Summary: For longer group conversations, DoubleTick can generate an AI-powered summary of the discussion, so a team member picking up the group can quickly understand the context and current status. Available on Web app only.
Fetch group chat history via public API (New): Fetch the conversation history of any WhatsApp Group for a specific date range using
GET /whatsapp/wa-group/chat-messages. Pass the groupId, startDate and endDate and the API returns the messages oldest first, including the sender, text, message type, media, reply context, and timestamp. See the WhatsApp Group Chat History API reference for the full request and response details.The range is inclusive, interpreted in UTC at day granularity, and may span at most 7 days (Monday to Sunday is allowed; an 8th day is rejected). The summary is generated once per distinct date range and stored, so repeating the same request returns the stored copy without a further AI call. Each generation consumes one AI summarisation credit.
Why not use regular WhatsApp groups for business
Using personal WhatsApp groups for business creates serious risks as your team grows:
No visibility: Conversations stay on personal devices, and managers cannot track them.
Knowledge loss: Data is lost when employees leave, with no central record.
No governance: There is no control, naming standards, audit trail, or reporting.
Brand issues: Groups run from personal numbers with no business identity.
As you scale, these become operational and compliance risks. DoubleTick solves this by centralizing and structuring all group communication through your official business number.
Business benefits
Centralized visibility: All group conversations happen via your official business number.
Professional governance: Groups are structured and centrally managed.
Reduced risk: There is no dependency on employees' personal devices.
Controlled access: Participation is invite-only.
Scalable setup: Create up to 10,000 groups per number.
Smarter management: Tag groups, assign ownership, mark them resolved, and summarize long threads with AI.
Key takeaways
WhatsApp Groups in DoubleTick are small, invite-only business groups created using your Cloud API number.
You need a Cloud API number (not Coexistence) and an Official Business Account to use them.
PRO and Enterprise plans include 5 groups, and each group can have up to 8 participants.
You can tag, assign, mark as done, add notes and custom fields, and summarize groups with AI, just like regular chats.
You can fetch a group's chat history through the public API, with 30 messages per page.
Frequently asked questions
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