The News, Explained
On November 5, Meta announced that WhatsApp hosts could send event links to people without a WhatsApp account. After a host creates an event and shares its link, guests can read the invitation and reply about whether they are coming without installing the app. Meta plans to roll the update out to everyone over the following weeks. Source
WhatsApp already had events. In 2024, Meta started with groups in WhatsApp Communities: members could create an event, answer it and find it again on the group’s information page. This update widens the circle a host can invite. For example, neighbors organizing dinner in a WhatsApp group can send the same event link to a neighbor who doesn’t use the app. Source Source
The invitation and the venue address become visible at different points. Meta says a guest without an account can read the event details from the link, then see the address after replying to the invitation. The host’s phone number is hidden from guests they don’t know. Meta’s statement about continued end-to-end encryption covers personal messages and calls. That kind of encryption protects the content so it can be read only on the participants’ devices. Source
There is also a new place for organizers to see several plans at once. Events under WhatsApp Settings lists past and upcoming events a person created or was invited to. The new Events Home is where hosts can put together invitations, manage replies, set reminder times and allow a guest to bring one more person. If the chat has moved on, organizers can go back to the event list to find the plan. Source
OYOPICK’s Take
We welcome the chance to organize a gathering in one app without asking every guest to use it. Showing an address after a reply involves a small trade-off. A home address stays out of the first view, while guests who need to estimate travel time may want a rough location before answering. For such a gathering, sharing the neighborhood or nearest station separately could help guests decide without giving out the exact address upfront. We’d like the invitation screen to show hosts which details guests will see at each stage.