Skip to main content
All CollectionsTeachersManaging Students and Co-Teachers
Group Join Settings and Approving Group Members to Join
Group Join Settings and Approving Group Members to Join

Learn how members join your groups and how to set groups to be open to join or join by approval

Vanessa avatar
Written by Vanessa
Updated over a week ago

Once you've Created a Group, you'll want your group members to join.

This article includes:

  • Who can make and join groups?

  • How to set groups to be open, join by approval, or closed

  • How members join your group

  • How to approve members to join your group

Who can make and join groups?

Only teachers can create groups and be group owners. Other teachers, parents, and students are able to join groups. If you do not need parents or students to join the group, you can toggle off their ability to join in the Group Settings.

How to set groups to be open, join by approval, or closed

By default, when you create a group it will be open to join for members. Then in two weeks, the group will automatically change to join by approval. This is so you don't need to remember to switch your group to join by approval. Showbie will do it for you automatically to keep the group secure.

Open - Members can join with the group code and have access to the group right away.

By Approval - Members can join and will get a message saying "Waiting to Join Group" until you approve their request.

Closed - No new members can join the group.

To change your group join settings:

  1. Go to the group and tap the 3 Dots in the top Right.

  2. Then tap on Group Info and select Group Settings.

  3. Here you can switch the registration to join by approval/ closed/open, and hit Save.

If you set registration to be open, it will automatically switch to be join by approval after 2 weeks.

Switching your group from open to join to join by approval.

How members join your group

  1. First, find your group code by clicking into the group and clicking the Three Dots in the top right. Then tap on Group info. Your group code will show here.

  2. Next, you can privately give this code to group members, who can log in to their Showbie accounts to join the group. (Please do not post group codes in public places.)

  3. Group members can select Groups in their accounts. Then click the Wrench icon, and select to join a group, and enter the group code here.

Joining a group in a teacher/parent/student account.

If your group is set to Open to Join, then the members will be joined to the group immediately and will be able to see the group discussion.

If your group is set to Join by Approval, then the members will get a message saying "Waiting to Join Group", and won't be able to see the group discussion until you approve them.

What group members see in their accounts when they are waiting to join a group.

How to approve members to join your group

If your group is set to join by approval, once a member enters the code to join your group, you will get a push or email notification to let you know they are waiting to be approved to join.

Example email notification of a member waiting to join a group.

You can click into the notification, to go into Showbie to approve them to join. Or you can go into your Showbie account, go to the group, and tap the 3 Dots in the top Right. Then tap on Group Info and select Group Members.

Group members waiting to be approved will have a red, 'Waiting to be approved' icon next to their name. You can tap on them, then tap Approve or Block.

If you do not recognize a member who is requesting to join your group, wait to approve them once you've verified they are supposed to be part of your group.

Approve or block members requesting to join your group.

Did this answer your question?