Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly announced three new WhatsApp privacy features, following which users of the instant messaging service will now be able to leave groups silently as well as choose who can see when they are online. WhatsApp will also block taking screenshots for ‘view once’ messages.
Hide Your “Online” Status
For years, WhatsApp has allowed people to hide their Status, Profile Picture, and Last Seen, but there was never an option to hide your “Online” status. In case you are not aware, WhatsApp displays an “Online” icon on the top of every chat whenever you open the messaging app to let you know if the other person is using the app or is offline. With the addition of the new feature, you will now be able to hide whether you are online or offline. It is pretty easy to hide your Online Status on WhatsApp. You just need to open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account > Privacy. Here, you will find a “Last seen and online” option on the top of the screen. You simply need to tap on that to access the feature.
Leave Silently
The popular messaging app currently alerts all members of a group chat to someone leaving or being removed by default – sometimes causing awkwardness, embarrassment or drama for those trying to leave unnoticed. With the ‘Leave Groups Silently’ features, WhatsApp users will be able to exit a group privately without having to notify everyone. Now, instead of notifying the full group when leaving, only the admins will be notified. This feature will start rolling out to all users this month.
Block Taking Screenshots for ‘View Once Messages’
WhatsApp will now block taking screenshots for ‘View Once Messages’. It noted that ‘View Once’ is already an incredibly popular way to share photos or media that don’t need to have a permanent digital record. “Now WhatsApp is enabling screenshot blocking for View Once messages for an added layer of protection. This feature is being tested and will be rolled out to users soon,” it said.
Delete a Message
Additionally, the company also recently announced that now users will have a little over 2 days to delete their messages from chats after they hit send. Users will be allowed to delete a message for up to two days and 12 hours after sending it. Previously, this limit was only 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 16 seconds.
💭 Rethinking your message? Now you’ll have a little over 2 days to delete your messages from your chats after you hit send.
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) August 8, 2022
WhatsApp has confirmed that it will start rolling out the features to all users this month.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said this would help keep WhatsApp messaging “as private and secure as face-to-face conversations”. It will begin rolling out the features this month, highlighting them in a global campaign, starting in the UK.
