> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://whatsapp-rust.jlucaso.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# September 22, 2026 — Hidden community subgroups

> Create or link community subgroups with an explicit visibility, and read the current visibility from CommunitySubgroup.

## Features

**Hidden subgroup visibility ([#1522](https://github.com/oxidezap/whatsapp-rust/pull/1522))**

Subgroup visibility is now part of the public community API. A hidden subgroup is omitted from the community's subgroup list for users who are not members; a visible subgroup appears for everyone. Visibility is fixed at creation or link time — WhatsApp does not support changing it later.

New types in `whatsapp_rust::features::community`:

* [`SubgroupVisibility`](/api/community#subgroupvisibility) — `Visible` (default) or `Hidden`.
* [`CreateSubgroupOptions`](/api/community#createsubgroupoptions) — name, participants, parent JID, and visibility, with `new(...)` and `with_visibility(...)` builders.
* [`LinkSubgroupOptions`](/api/community#linksubgroupoptions) — one `(jid, visibility)` pair per group.

New methods on `Community`:

* [`create_subgroup_with_options`](/api/community#create_subgroup_with_options) — create a subgroup with an explicit add-time visibility in one round-trip.
* [`link_subgroups_with_options`](/api/community#link_subgroups_with_options) — link existing groups with a per-group visibility, mixing visible and hidden in a single IQ.

The visible-only wrappers `create_subgroup` and `link_subgroups` still work and default to `SubgroupVisibility::Visible`, so existing call sites do not need to change.

```rust theme={null}
use whatsapp_rust::features::community::{
    CreateSubgroupOptions, LinkSubgroupOptions, SubgroupVisibility,
};

let options = CreateSubgroupOptions::new("Mods only", &participants, community_jid.clone())
    .with_visibility(SubgroupVisibility::Hidden);
client.community().create_subgroup_with_options(options).await?;

let link = vec![
    LinkSubgroupOptions::new(a_jid, SubgroupVisibility::Visible),
    LinkSubgroupOptions::new(b_jid, SubgroupVisibility::Hidden),
];
client.community().link_subgroups_with_options(&community_jid, &link).await?;
```

[`CommunitySubgroup`](/api/community#communitysubgroup) gained an `is_hidden_group: bool` field, parsed from the `hidden_group` property in the MEX subgroup listing. It defaults to `false` when the server omits the field, so existing readers keep working. See the [community management guide](/guides/communities#hidden-subgroups) for a full walkthrough.