Watch out! WhatsApp beta bug kicks users out of groups
What's the story
If you have a habit of toying around with the beta versions of WhatsApp, better be careful this time around. A new release from the Facebook-owned messaging service appears to be kicking users out of their WhatsApp groups, causing unexpected disruption in their communication experience. Here is all you need to know about the glitch and the way to fix it.
Issue
Latest beta releases causing group removal
As reported by WABetaInfo, a famous tipster for WhatsApp-related news and feature updates, the latest beta releases from the messaging company is removing users from all of their groups. The problem ties to two specific versions from the company built for Android-based phones - v2.20.200.7 and v2.20.200.8 - and has affected at least a dozen people, going by the complaints on Twitter.
Twitter Post
Here's what one user said on the issue
I'm facing same issue still automatically kicked out of group and adding back after next day
— Biswarup YT (@ScientistMimo) September 15, 2020
Details
However, the issue does not appear permanent
While the bug kicks users out of their groups, it does not appear to be a permanent change, with many users reporting that they were added back after another member sent a message on the group. One user even claimed that going to the description of the group and returning adds you back, although the theory remains unverified.
Fix
Roll back to WhatsApp stable version for fix
Having said that, if the workarounds are not helping your case, there is always the option to roll back to a stable build of WhatsApp. This way, you will get to the patched version of the messaging service and all your groups will be back. WhatsApp has not commented on the matter, but we expect a fix would be released pretty soon.
Beta builds
Beta releases have always been unstable
Beta releases like the ones causing problem here have long been known to be unstable and buggy. They can easily cause crashes and other major issues, which may ultimately result in a broken communication experience. This is why the official recommendation is always to try these builds on your secondary device rather than your daily driver.