Whatsapp is launching new security features that allow you to have more granular control over who can and cannot see certain account details.
O Affected settings on your WhatsApp account (opens in new tab) are Profile Picture, About Description, and Last Seen status. Now you can decide who among your contacts can see these three details. Last seen control, in particular, is a functionality that is in the works. since november 2021. This level of control is being expanded to the other two settings.
hidden details
Prior to this security update, you could allow the public to see these specific account details, restrict access to contacts only, or prevent everyone from knowing. And you don’t have to worry about the rest of your contacts, as everyone unrestricted will see this information just fine.
With the new update, please be aware that when you restrict your last seen status to a certain person, you will also not be able to see their status. This update is coming to Android and iOS. You can check if you have the update by going to Settings in WhatsApp, selecting Account and then Privacy.
If you click on Profile Picture, for example, you should see a new entry that says “My contacts except…”. This is the new update where you can select who can see your details. If not, it is recommended to update WhatsApp. Couldn’t get confirmation from WhatsApp if this feature will roll out globally.
hidden features
In addition to the security updates, WhatsApp also introduced three new group calling features. You can now mute or send messages to specific people on a call. There will also be a new indicator that appears at the bottom of the screen whenever someone participates in a large-scale call. This information came from Will Cathcart’s Twitter account (opens in new tab) who is the boss of whatsapp.
As for upcoming features, WhatsApp news site WABetaInfo detected a new beta version for Android phones (opens in new tab) which is referred to as Android 2.22.14.6. The beta version has a new management feature called “Group Membership Approval”.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature allows group creators to have control over who can be allowed to join a chat. Group chat members can invite others to the room, but these extra people must be approved by the creator. Group membership approval can be enabled by going to the group chat setting. WABetaInfo too discovered new gender-neutral emojis (opens in new tab) in beta.
If you are interested in trying out the beta version, you can join the Google Play Beta Program (opens in new tab) right now and download 2.22.14.6 on your device. Earlier this week, covered another WhatsApp feature that makes it easy to transfer data from Android to iOS.
