WhatsApp is rolling out new privacy updates, among which is the option of leaving a group chat without notifying the other members. This feature is particularly welcomed by users who cannot wait to leave all the groups they have muted aged ago, but do not want to draw attention to their escape.
“At WhatsApp, Privacy is in our DNA, and we will never stop building new ways to protect your personal conversations. 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 said in a statement.
WhatsApp protects the personal calls and messages of users with default end-to-end encryption, so only the intended recipient can hear or see them. This is an important part of privacy, but the company says they have constantly added new layers of privacy protections secure messages, including disappearing messages that self-destruct, end-to-end encrypted backups for saving the chat history, 2-step verification for added security and the ability to block and report unwanted chats.
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.
WhatsApp
The option to silently leave groups rolls out this month. Once the feature is implemented, only the group admins will be notified when a person leaves the chat.
Another useful feature, also rolling out this month, is allowing users to choose who can see whether they are online or not. “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”.
Lastly, an already popular privacy feature will get an even more useful update. The view once mode for sharing photos and media is very practical, there are some things people want to share in the moment, but not have it in the chat forever. To make it even better, WhatsApp is introducing screenshot blocking for the view once messages. The feature is currently being testes and will reach users soon.
