Three new privacy features for WhatsApp and how they work
You can now hide your online status, leave groups without making a sound, and stop screenshots from being taken of "view once" images.
Have you ever wondered how to exit a WhatsApp group quietly or avoid appearing as "online"? Now, this is really likely.
Three new privacy-related features were recently added to the well-known messaging service WhatsApp. You may also secretly leave WhatsApp groups and prevent screenshots from being taken of 'see once' photos.
On August 9, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, unveiled the new features.
Previously, users could only conceal their "last seen" status, but now the firm lets you hide your "online" indication or decide with whom you want to broadcast the status. The last saw online status may be totally hidden from everyone, only unidentified numbers, certain contacts, or nobody. Under the last seen settings, the feature will include a new "who can see when I'm online" option with the choices "everyone" and "same as last seen."
Second, users will have the option to depart group conversations without leaving a "person left the group" notification on the chat. Currently, when someone joins or leaves a group chat, the software automatically notifies all other participants. Only the group admin will be notified when a member leaves the group using the new functionality, according to WhatsApp.
Thirdly, users may transmit media files that can only be seen once by using the "view once" messaging. These nevertheless permitted taking screenshots of the media file. In order to prevent individuals from capturing screenshots of their photographs, WhatsApp has included a screenshot blocking capability to its 'see once' messaging.
The American business Meta Platforms is the owner of WhatsApp Messenger, a freeware, cross-platform, centralised instant messaging and voice-over-IP service that is accessible worldwide.
Meta This will help maintain WhatsApp chat "as private and safe as face-to-face discussions," according to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Statista estimates that WhatsApp will have two billion monthly active users by June 2022, surpassing WeChat's 1.2 billion users and Facebook Messenger's 988 million worldwide users.