How to Add a Bot to WhatsApp Group
Add BotWave to your WhatsApp group for moderation, games, AI, and automation. Admin setup and permissions.
Adding a bot to a WhatsApp group unlocks anti-spam, welcome messages, AI Q&A, polls, games, and moderation tools that would otherwise eat hours of your time as an admin. BotWave is a regular WhatsApp Linked Device, so adding it to a group is exactly the same as adding any contact, there is no special "bot account" type.
Prerequisites
- You are an admin of the group (you can add and remove members).
- A connected BotWave session whose phone number you can save as a contact.
- Optional: a welcome message and a set of group rules ready to paste.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Save the bot number as a contact
Add the WhatsApp number tied to your BotWave session to your phone's contact list. A name like "BotWave Bot" is fine.
Tip: You can find the bot number in Dashboard → Sessions → click your session → "Phone number".
- 2
Open the WhatsApp group
Tap the group name at the top to open Group info.
- 3
Tap "Add Participant" and pick the bot
Search for the contact name you just saved, tap it, and confirm. The bot now appears in the member list.
- 4
Promote the bot to admin (recommended)
Tap the bot in the member list and choose "Make group admin". Without admin rights the bot cannot delete spam messages, kick rule-breakers, or change group settings, moderation features will be limited.
Tip: Some groups prefer to leave the bot as a regular member to avoid giving automation full admin rights. That is fine, but expect fewer features to work.
- 5
Greet the group and verify
Send !help in the group. The bot should reply with the command list. Then send !welcome to test the welcome message flow.
!help - 6
Configure group-specific settings
From Dashboard → Groups → click the group, you can per-group: customise the welcome message, enable anti-spam, set warning thresholds, and lock specific commands.
Expected result
The bot greets new members, deletes spam, runs games, answers AI questions, and runs polls, all inside a single WhatsApp group, with per-group settings you control from the dashboard.
Power-user tips
- Run !rules in the group to publish the rules anytime; new members can pull them up with !rules whenever they join.
- Use !tagall (admin-only) sparingly, Mass-tagging too often is the #1 way admins lose group members to "too noisy" frustration.
- Enable "Read-but-skip" mode in the dashboard so the bot does not feel like it is listening to every message, it only reacts to commands.
Common pitfalls
- Without admin permissions, the bot cannot delete messages or kick users, most "moderation does nothing" support tickets are actually missing-admin tickets.
- Adding the bot to more than ~50 groups at once on a brand-new session is a fast way to a WhatsApp ban. Stagger group adds over a few days, especially during the warmup period.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I need to make the bot an admin?
WhatsApp's permission model only allows admins to delete other members' messages, kick or ban members, change group settings, and use !tagall. Without admin rights the bot can still respond to commands aimed at it (like !sticker or !ai), but it cannot moderate.
Can the bot be in multiple groups at once?
Yes. A single BotWave session supports unlimited groups simultaneously. Each group can have its own welcome message, anti-spam rules, and command permissions.
Does adding the bot count as adding a "participant" for WhatsApp's 1024-member limit?
Yes, the bot occupies one member slot like any other participant. In groups close to the limit, plan accordingly.
What happens if I remove the bot from the group?
Nothing breaks. The bot just stops responding in that group. Your session and other groups are unaffected. You can re-add it any time.
Ready to put this into practice?
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