Whatsapp, the popular worldwide instant messaging app, has introduced WhatsApp Privacy Features as part of security measures to make the app safer and easier to use.
With over two billion downloads, the green app is one of the most popular social media platforms for both personal and business use.
Summary of WhatsApp New Privacy Features
WhatsApp announced new privacy features on Tuesday:
- Allowing users of the instant messaging service to leave groups silently
- Choose who can see when they are online.
- Taking screenshots for ‘view once’ messages will also be prohibited by WhatsApp.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s founder, stated, “we’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
The latest update includes new privacy features such as the ability to exit group chats without notifying everyone; the ability to choose who can see when you’re online for the number of contacts you want; and the ability to prevent screenshots from pictures and videos when they are only displayed once.
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What are the new privacy features on WhatsApp
According to Meta, the new features give users more privacy, protection, and control.
“We believe messaging and calling should always be as private and secure as having face-to-face conversations. Kind of like if two people were talking and no one else was around.
“WhatsApp protects the personal calls and messages of users with default end-to-end encryption, so no one but the intended recipient can hear or see them. But that is just one important part of protecting your privacy,” a statement on the Whatsapp blog partly reads.
“Over the years, we’ve added new layers of privacy protections to give you multiple ways to secure your messages, including disappearing messages that self-destruct, end-to-end encrypted backups when you want to save your chat history, 2-step verification for added security, and the ability to block and report unwanted chats.
Additionally, “Today, we’re excited to bring several new privacy features that provide even more layers of protection and give you more control over your messages. This is all part of how we work to keep your conversations secure on WhatsApp,”
1. Leave Groups Silently:
“We love our group chats but some are not forever. We’re making it possible to exit a group privately without making it a big deal to everyone. Now, instead of notifying the full group when you are leaving, only the admins will be notified. This feature will start to roll out to all users this month.”
WhatsApp users will be able to exit a group privately without having to notify everyone using the ‘Leave Groups Silently’ features. Instead of notifying the entire group when someone leaves, only the administrators will be notified. This feature will be available to all users starting this month.
2. Choose Who Can See When You’re Online:
“Seeing when friends or family are online helps us feel connected to one another, but we’ve all had times when we wanted to check our WhatsApp privately. For the moments you want to keep your online presence private, we’re introducing the ability to select who can and can’t see when you’re online. This will start rolling out to all users this month.”
In addition, screenshots for ‘View Once Messages’ will no longer be permitted in the instant messaging app. It was mentioned that ‘View Once’ is already a very popular way to share photos or media that don’t require a permanent digital record. “As an added layer of security, WhatsApp is now enabling screenshot blocking for View Once messages.” “This feature is being tested and will be available to users shortly,” it said.
According to the company, the introduction of these new features is supported by a new WhatsApp privacy study, which found that 72 percent of people value the ability to speak in an honest, unfiltered way, but more than 47 percent are only comfortable doing so in a safe, private space.
