WhatsApp Will Now Give You More Control Over Your Privacy

By: Bhavesh B.

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WhatsApp has recently introduced a host of new features for a better user experience. The new features "provide users more privacy, more protection, and more control," said Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms. Some of the new updates include being able to leave group chats without notifying other members and allowing users to choose who can see if they are online. Let’s check out all the latest WhatsApp updates you need to know.

Related: 14 WhatsApp Tips to Keep in Mind For a Better Experience

1. More time to delete messages

WhatsApp now gives you a lot more time to delete irrelevant, unwanted, or inappropriate messages. The Meta-owned popular messaging app announced that users will now have a little over two days to delete their messages from their chats after they hit send. Reports suggest that the exact limit will be two days and 12 hours. Earlier, this option was active only for 68 minutes.

You will have three options once you select a message to delete: delete for everyone, delete for me, and cancel. Select the option that states "delete for everyone."

The new feature will be implemented right away for all users who have updated to the latest version of the app.

2. Screenshot blocking for 'View Once' messages

Perhaps the most significant update is screenshot blocking for View Once Messages. This feature is used to share photos or media that disappear after being read. This feature is being tested and will be rolled out to users shortly.

Related: How Does WhatsApp’s 'Disappearing Messages' Feature Work?

3. Leave groups silently

Leaving a WhatsApp group can be awkward at times, especially if it’s been created by family members or friends and you’ve been sticking around unwillingly. Thankfully, the messaging platform now gives users the option to leave groups silently without notifying anyone other than the admins.

Currently, when a user leaves a WhatsApp group chat a notification appears at the bottom of the conversation, informing the other participants who have left. With this new feature, you can avoid offending everyone in the group if you choose to leave it.

4. Choose who can see that you're online

While seeing when your friends or family are online is nice, people may want to hide the fact that they were online while using WhatsApp sometimes. Now, users will be able to choose who can that you're online.

“For the times 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,” Zuckerberg said. This new “stealth mode” is rolling out to all users this month, and we shall know soon exactly how it will work.

5. Status reactions

WhatsApp is releasing status reactions too, where users can react to others’ status updates by choosing emojis. Status reactions have been a feature of Facebook and Instagram for a while. Now WhatsApp users too can have fun with this cool feature.

To check if you have got the latest WhatsApp update, simply go to the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and search for WhatsApp. If you see an ‘Update’ button on the WhatsApp page, click on it to update to the latest version. If you don’t see the button, you already have the latest version.

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