WhatsApp settings, explained

Last updated September 21, 2026

Settings → WhatsApp. Worth being clear about what this is before setting it up: Pavilion does not send WhatsApp messages. It gives you a link and a composed message; you press send in WhatsApp yourself.

🤔 Why it works that way

Sending WhatsApp automatically needs a Meta Business account, an approved sender and a per-message cost, and every template has to be approved before it can be used. For a club that wants to tell forty people the green is shut, that is a great deal of machinery. This way there is no account, no approval and no monthly bill — at the cost of somebody pressing send.

🔗 Group invite link

From WhatsApp itself: open the group, Group info, Invite via link. Paste it here and it appears on the members’ portal, so a new member can join the group without anybody having to find the link again. Test it before saving — a revoked link looks identical to a working one.

Anybody with that link can join the group, so treat it as you would a door key: if it gets out, revoke it in WhatsApp and paste the new one here.

📞 Club number

Optional, and only for a “message the club” button on the portal. It will be visible to members, so use a club phone rather than the secretary’s own if that matters to whoever holds the post.

✍️ Message composer

Write the message here, then either open WhatsApp Web with it already filled in, or copy it and paste it wherever you like. The quick-fill templates are starting points for the things clubs send most — rain off, match reminder, event notice. Asterisks make text bold and underscores make it italic, which is WhatsApp’s own formatting rather than ours.

Common questions

Can it send automatically?: No, and that is the design rather than a limitation. Automatic sending needs a Meta Business account and a per-message charge; this needs neither. If you need automatic messaging, use email reminders or app notifications, which are.
Does it need everyone's mobile number?: No. It works through a group, so the only thing Pavilion holds is the invite link.
The link says it is no longer valid.: Somebody has reset it in WhatsApp — which is the right thing to do if it had been shared too widely. Get the new one from Group info and paste it here.