Privacy features on the messaging app WhatsApp, which boasts 2+ billion active users, are being increased, the company has revealed. In an upcoming update, the app will undergo some changes, such as allowing users to leave a group chat without notifying others while also allowing people to control who can see when they were last online.
The update, which is expected to be rolled out later this month, has another new feature that allows its users to block the recipient of their View Once messages from taking screenshots of the time-sensitive snap, given that the photo is supposed to vanish a few seconds after it’s been opened.
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While WhatsApp already allows people to turn off read messages, the add-on that’s being rolled out this month will hide the fact that a user was online and using WhatsApp altogether. The aim of these new features is to keep improving the privacy around conversations that are being had over the app. Meta, who owns WhatsApp, had its CEO Mark Zuckerberg share in a statement, “We’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
Meanwhile, Ami Vora, who is the head of product at the messaging firm, said the team is dedicated and motivated to continue developing techniques and functions that empower people to have the utmost control of their privacy over all of their content shared on WhatsApp.
“Over the years, we’ve added interlocking layers of protection to help keep their conversations secure, and the new features are one way we continue to deliver on our commitment to keeping messages private,” she explained.
“No other global messaging service at this scale provides this level of security for their users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups.
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“We believe WhatsApp is the most secure place to have a private conversation. And to spread the word about these new features, we’re also kicking off a global campaign, starting with the UK and India, to educate people about how we work to protect their private conversations on WhatsApp.
Over 100 billion messages are exchanged via WhatsApp on a day-to-day basis, with 22% of its users stemming from iOS users while the other 73% derive from Android phones. In 2021, a reported 600 million downloads were made of the app, making it the most downloaded application just behind Facebook.