Not everyone is right: WhatsApp shows by default whether we are currently active in the app or when we were the last. The fact that other messaging services have long offered the ability to hide their online status also causes further sorrow and constant criticism among WhatsApp users.
How to change your privacy settings
Now WhatsApp is finally following suit. With a few clicks you can specify who can see your online status: everyone, only your WhatsApp contacts (all or only certain ones) or none. These are the options.
However, you have to actively make these changes yourself, otherwise everything remains as before. To do this, navigate within the app via the following menu items:
Settings> Account> Privacy> Last Login / Online
There you decide who is allowed to see if you are currently “Online” in the app or when you were “last time online”.
Overdue privacy action
For the largest messaging service in the world with over two billion users, this measure comes too late. For the first time, it is possible to use WhatsApp only to signal availability to the family, but not to the boss and colleagues, who may prefer not to know that you are on the phone.
Almost countless tracker apps show how easy it is to abuse your online status: years ago Heise Online reported the ability to create entire profiles of WhatsApp users in the background, so to speak, when and for how long they use WhatsApp. A paradise for stalkers, a nightmare for privacy advocates.
Block screenshots and silent group exit
WhatsApp announced this innovation in August on the company blog, along with two other new features: now it is also possible to leave groups “silently”. Only group admins will then be notified, instead of all group members directly in the chat as before.
You can also set up a screenshot lock for single view messages. This function can be used, for example, to send a photo that is not saved by the recipient device and can only be viewed once. It is now possible to prevent a screenshot from being taken quickly, thus bypassing the one-time view.
All of these features should be available with the latest version of WhatsApp – the latest update is also recommended to close critical security holes within the app.
