After previewing the feature in beta last April, WhatsApp is implementing larger privacy controls for profile photo settings, About, Status and Last Visit, the company tweeted. So far, you could only block this setting for Everyone, My Contacts, or Nobody, but the new update introduces a “My Contacts Except” option that offers much more granular control.
Last-seen status is a particular privacy threat, as it indicates the last time someone checked the app. This provides a way to find out if a contact may have seen your message even though they turned off read receipts. The new feature allows you to turn off this feature for certain people, while blocking your profile picture, information, and status for individual users.
If you restrict your Last Visit status to certain people, you’ll notice that you won’t be able to see their Last Visit status either. The new settings are available through the three-point menu in the upper right and then by navigating to Account> Privacy.
WhatsApp has recently added a number of new features, both in terms of privacy and convenience. Last year, the company said it would limit the accounts of users who did not accept its new privacy policy, but later backed down. Earlier this week, the chat app introduced a new feature that makes it easy to switch from Android to iOS.
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