According to WhatsApp beta news blog WABetaInfo, Meta-owned WhatsApp is currently beta testing a feature to hide user’s last seen status from specific contacts. Earlier, upon hiding last seen status, the feature was able to get turned off for everyone. However, the deployment of this latest feature will enable users to limit their contacts from seeing their last seen.
In a statement, WhatsApp said:
“To improve the privacy and security of our users, we’re making it harder for people you don’t know and haven’t chatted with from seeing your last seen and online presence on WhatsApp. This will not change anything between you and your friends, family, and businesses who you know or have previously messaged”
Last seen indicates the exact time when a user last opened the popular messaging app. At present, a user can disable this feature for everyone. However, WhatsApp iOS beta version 22.9.0.70 cops a ‘My Contacts Except’ in the last seen ‘privacy settings’ option. A user will have to go through the following process to alter the settings:
Tap onto the “last seen” category and select the preferred option from, “Everyone,” “My Contacts,” “Nobody,” and “My Contacts Except…”.
One of the pivotal points to make here is that if anyone hides his/her last seen from a specific user then s/he won’t be able to see recipient’s last seen either. It’s a two-way process. WhatsApp is currently beta testing this feature on both iOS and Android. It is anticipated that the feature would be rolled out for everyone to use soon enough.
Also Read: WhatsApp to roll out Communities to manage groups better
WhatsApp working on some other features too
Besides the aforementioned development, WhatsApp is also working on locking the profile picture – just like Facebook – along with the updating of ‘about’ section. Through this very feature, a user will be deciding as to who can see his/her profile picture. Moreover, the ‘about’ section can be also be seen for selected contacts. It remains to be seen whether WhatsApp will roll out these features too in its next update.
Do you think this is a progressive thinking from WhatsApp?
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