By Nathalie Voit
Instant messaging platform WhatsApp announced several new privacy features on August 9, including the ability to leave group chats undetected.
The Meta-owned company said on Tuesday that users would be able to leave group chats silently starting this month.
Currently, it is not possible to exit a group without alerting other group members. With the new update, only the admins will be notified when a member leaves.
Beginning this month, WhatsApp will also let users choose which contacts can see when they are online.
“Seeing when friends or family are online helps us feel connected to one another, but we’ve all had times when we wanted to check our WhatsApp privately,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.
Finally, the multimedia messaging app will enable screenshot blocking for View Once messages, which disappear from a chat after they have been opened (the feature is perfect for photos or videos containing sensitive information like a Wi-Fi password).
WhatsApp said the privacy add-on will roll out to users soon.
“New privacy features coming to WhatsApp: exit group chats without notifying everyone, control who can see when you’re online, and prevent screenshots on View Once messages, CEO of Meta Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “We’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
