WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that will stop people from automatically adding you to those annoying WhatsApp groups.

If you activate the feature, friends and strangers will not be able to add you to group chats without getting your permission first.

According to the Daily Mail, people will now have three options to choose from in their settings: “nobody”, “my contacts” or “everyone”.

They’ve introduced the invite system because group chats can lead to awkwardness when people want to leave a group they have no interest in, a WhatsApp spokesperson told the publication. This can lead to resentment among friends who may have added you without your consent.

“This is a significant update for WhatsApp and a frequently requested feature that will limit abuse and keep people’s phone numbers private.”

This new feature has already been rolled out to some users and will be available worldwide within the coming weeks.

Steps on how to activate the new option:

Make sure you have the updated version of WhatsApp on your phone then choose from one of three options in your settings:

*Picking “Everyone” will let anyone add you to a group without asking you for permission.

*Choosing “My Contacts” will limit group-adding to people in your phone contacts – forcing everyone else to invite you first.

*Choosing “Nobody” will require everyone to ask for your permission before you can be added to a group.