What you need to know
- WhatsApp is reportedly reworking its privacy settings for both Android and iOS users.
- You will soon be able to hide your "last seen" status from specific contacts.
- Once you disable your last seen status for specific contacts, you won't be able to view theirs either.
WhatsApp is finally preparing to rework a feature that it rolled out a few years back. According to a new report, the popular messaging app could soon tweak its privacy settings to give users more control over who can view their "last seen" status.
The folks at WABetaInfo have found evidence that suggests it will soon be able to hide your last seen status from specific contacts. Currently, the last seen Privacy setting offers just three options: Everyone, My Contacts, and Nobody. As you can see in the screenshot below, the new "My Contacts Except" option will let you choose specific contacts that you want to hide your status from.
It is worth noting, however, that once you disable your last seen status for specific contacts, you will not be able to see theirs either. The feature is currently under development, so it could take some time before it rolls out to users. As with any new feature, however, it will first be enabled for users on the beta channel. In addition to your last seen status, you'll be able to hide your profile picture and "about" info as well from specific people.
Apart from reworking its privacy settings, WhatsApp is gearing up to add several new features to further improve the user experience on its platform. As revealed earlier this month, WhatsApp could soon allow users to react to send Facebook Messenger-like emoji reactions.
The Facebook-owned messaging app is also planning to introduce a new 90-day option for disappearing messages. Most WhatsApp users, however, are waiting for the Multi-Device feature to become widely available.
The feature, which became available to some beta testers in July, is expected to roll out to the best Android phones before the end of the year. Once it becomes widely available, you will be able to use your WhatsApp account on up to four devices at the same time. What's more, you don't have to be connected to your phone to send or receive messages.
