WhatsApp, an instant messaging service owned by Meta Platforms (previously known as Facebook lah), recently faced backlash by users concerned over its updated privacy policy in January this year.
The new privacy policy predominantly posed a huge threat to messaging businesses on WhatsApp and the parts of your data those businesses have control over.
After the announcement of policy changes, it sparked a huge hoo-ha among users. Some even said they would migrate to other messaging applications in the market.
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Ahem, Tele-
However, things do not seem as bad as it sounds. WhatsApp recently made a key change to a feature that may be a game-changer.
WhatsApp Now Hides “Last Seen” from Strangers Who Texts You
We now no longer need to go through the settings manually to disable our “last Seen” status.
WhatsApp has now made updated its settings so strangers that you haven’t communicated with won’t be able to see your “last seen” status. This means they won’t be able to tell when you are active on the app.
Finally, the feature is set to only “my contacts” by default.
In a post on Twitter dated 8 Dec, user @nihaolain explained that we may not be able to see the “last seen” status of others on the platform. She also included an email that seemingly came from WhatsApp’s support.
The email states that “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.”
One of the benefits of turning on the “my contacts” option for your last seen is that it prevents third-party apps from logging your online status.
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We practically live and breathe in the digital world now. Better be safe than sorry.
Other changes made by WhatsApp
This isn’t the first change that the messaging platform has gone through.
In August this year, Whatsapp also rolled out a new “view once” feature. It allows users to send photos and videos that are deleted from the chat once opened by the receiver.
Once it’s viewed, the message will pop up as “opened”. This essentially offer better control over privacy.
It can also prevent your phone’s gallery from piling up. Sweet.
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Just last month, WhatsApp also became a native application on Windows 11.
Mac users, let us wait a little longer.
Windows users can now download a custom-built WhatsApp desktop platform which integrates seamlessly among the landscape of the ecosystem.
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