As an admin, you are authorized to delete the group from its existence. Meaning, you can permanently delete it so that nobody interacts in it. However, WhatsApp doesn’t provide a direct way to do it.
Similar to other members when they exit the group, if you press the Exit button you will simply no longer be a participant but the group will still exist. If there are multiple admins, the admin rights will remain with them. However, if you were the sole admin, WhatsApp will randomly make somebody else the admin. Although you will get the Delete option once you exit the group, it will only remove the group chat history.
To delete the group permanently as an admin, follow the steps:
Step 1: Open the group that you want to delete for everyone. Tap the top bar to view group members.
Step 2: Here comes the interesting part. As an admin, you enjoy the right to remove anyone from the group. You need to use this power and remove each member from the group individually. To do so, just hold the member’s name and hit the Remove button.
Step 3: Repeat step 2 for all the members of the group. Once you have removed everyone, exit the group as shown below.
If you are a member of the group who only wants to delete it from their own phone, you can do that too by following the steps.
Step 1: Open the WhatsApp group that you want to delete. Tap the top bar that shows group info.
Step 2: On the next screen, scroll down and you will find the Exit group option. Tap on it. A pop up will appear asking you to confirm your decision. Tap on Exit.
Once you do that, you will see that the group is still visible on your device. It’s because the group hasn’t been actually deleted from your device, you are just not a member of the group anymore. Meaning when you exit the group, you can no longer participate in the group chats. In case you want to remove it from your phone, go to step 3.
Step 3: On the same screen, you will see that the Exit button is now replaced by the Delete group button. Tap on it to delete the group from your phone. A pop up will appear. Tap on Delete.
Deleting the group by pressing the Delete button will permanently delete it for you and also remove all the chat history of this group from your phone. However, the group or the group chat won’t be affected by other members. They can still chat. They will simply receive a notification in the group saying that you have left it.
After you exit it, you will get the Delete button. Tap on it to remove the group permanently.
This method works irrespective of the device or software. You can use it on Android devices (such as Samsung, OnePlus, etc.) and iPhones.