Control who can access your communities with membership approval settings. Community admins can review and approve membership requests before granting access.
In this article:
Overview
Requesting to Join a Community
For Community Admins: Managing Membership Requests
For Community Admins: Configuring Membership Access Settings
Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
Communities on Blink can be set up in two ways:
Open Communities: Anyone can join instantly without needing approval
Closed Communities: Members need to request access and be approved by a community admin
When a community requires approval, you'll need to submit a request to join. Community admins will then review and either approve or decline your request.
Requesting to Join a Community
How to Request Membership
When you visit a community that requires approval, you'll see different options depending on whether you're using the web or mobile app.
On Web:
Navigate to the community you want to join
Look for the button on the community page:
If you see a Request to join button, the community requires approval
If you see a Join button, you can join instantly without approval
Click Request to join to submit your request
The button will change to Request Pending while you wait for approval
Navigate to the community you want to join
Check the button label:
Request to join = community requires approval
Join = you can join instantly
Tap the appropriate button to proceed
After You Submit Your Request
Once you've submitted your request:
Your request is sent to the community admins for review
The button will show Request Pending (web) or You have requested to join (mobile) and will be greyed out
You cannot cancel or withdraw your request while it's pending
You'll need to wait for a community admin to review and respond to your request
Note: While your request is pending, you won't be able to access community content or participate in discussions.
What Happens Next
A community admin will review your request and either:
Approve your request: You'll become a member and gain full access to the community, and you'll be notified of the approval
Decline your request: You won't be added to the community
For Community Admins: Managing Membership Requests
As a community admin, you can review and respond to membership requests when your community is set to require approval. Admins receive notifications when new membership requests are submitted.
Viewing Pending Requests
On Web:
There are two ways to view pending membership requests:
From the Community Page:
Open your community
Click the Members button
Pending requests will appear at the top of the members list
Click View All Requests to see the full list
Go to your Admin Panel
Navigate to Groups
Select your community
Look for the Membership Requests button (it will show a badge with the number of pending requests)
Click to view all pending requests
On Mobile:
Open your community
Navigate to the Members section
Look for the Membership Requests button at the top of the members list
This button only appears when there are pending requests
Tap Membership Requests to view all pending requests
Note: If you don't see the Membership Requests button, there are no pending requests.
Reviewing and Responding to Requests
To approve a request:
Find the person's request in the list
Click or tap Approve next to their name
The button will change to Approved
You'll see a confirmation message: "[Name]'s request approved"
The person becomes a member immediately and gains access to the community
To decline a request:
Find the person's request in the list
Click or tap Decline next to their name
The button will change to Declined
You'll see a confirmation message: "[Name]'s request declined"
The request is removed and the person will not become a member
When There Are No More Requests
Once you've reviewed all pending requests, you'll see a message:
"There are no more requests for membership."
The Membership Requests button will also disappear from the Members screen until new requests come in.
For Community Admins: Configuring Membership Access Settings
Community admins can control whether their community allows instant joining or requires approval for new members.
Accessing Membership Settings
On Web (via Admin Panel):
Go to your Admin Panel
Navigate to Groups
Select the community you want to configure
Find the Membership Access section in the community settings
On Mobile:
Open your community
Go to Settings or Group Details
Find the Membership Access section
Choosing Your Access Setting
You'll see the question: "How can people join this group?"
There are two options:
Open Communities
Description: "Anyone can join instantly without needing approval."
Best for: Communities that want to grow quickly and welcome everyone
Result: When someone clicks or taps Join, they become a member immediately
Closed Communities
Description: "Members need to request access and be approved by an admin."
Best for: Communities that want to review members before they join
Result: When someone clicks or taps Request to join, you'll receive their request to review
Changing the Setting
Select your preferred option
On web: Save your changes by clicking the save button
On mobile: The setting is saved automatically
Future join attempts will follow the new rule
💡 Important 💡
What happens to pending requests when you change settings?
Changing from Open to Closed: The change only affects future join attempts. There will be no existing pending requests since the community was previously open.
Changing from Closed to Open: All pending membership requests are automatically approved, and those users will be added to the community immediately. Future users can join instantly without approval.
FAQs
How will I know when someone requests to join my community?
You'll receive a notification when new membership requests are submitted. Additionally, when there are pending requests, a Membership Requests button will appear at the top of your Members list (or in the Groups section of the Admin Panel on web).
Can I see who has requested to join my community?
Yes, when viewing pending requests, you'll see who has requested to join your community.
What happens to pending requests if I change my community from "Closed" to "Open"?
All pending requests are automatically approved and those users will be added to the community immediately.
What happens to existing members if I change my community from "Open" to "Closed"?
Existing members remain members. Only new people trying to join will need to request approval.
Can I approve or decline requests in bulk?
Not currently. You'll need to review each request individually by clicking or tapping Approve or Decline for each person.
Can other admins see and manage membership requests?
Yes, all community admins have access to view and manage membership requests. Any admin can approve or decline requests.
Is there a limit to how many pending requests a community can have?
There's no specified limit. All pending requests will appear in the Membership Requests screen.
General Questions
What's the difference between "Join" and "Request to join"?
The button label tells you what type of community it is:
"Join" = Open community, you'll become a member instantly
"Request to join" = Closed community, an admin must review your request first
Who can configure the membership access settings?
Community admins can change whether a community requires approval. On web, this is done through the Admin Panel. On mobile, admins can access settings directly from the community.
Do all communities require approval?
No, only communities that have been set to "Closed" by their admins require approval. Open communities allow anyone to join instantly.
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