Last Updated on September 7, 2021 by Asif Iqbal Shaik
Facebook-owned WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging service with over two billion MAUs (Monthly Active Users). However, when it comes to features, it is still playing the catch-up game with competitors like Facebook Messenger, iMessage, Signal, and Telegram. In an effort to bridge one such gap, WhatsApp is planning to introduce the ability to adjust the ‘Last seen’ status.
As per WABetaInfo.com, known for its exclusive scoops on WhatsApp, the new privacy feature has been spotted on iOS. However, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t land on Android smartphones. The feature offers granular control over who gets to access your ‘Last seen’ information. As you may already know, currently you can choose to share your ‘Last seen’ details with Everyone, My Contacts, or Nobody. The new update takes this functionality further with the ability to limit access on a contact-by-contact basis.
How To Hide WhatsApp ‘Last Seen’ From Select Contacts
In simple words, rather than blocking everyone on your contact list from knowing the last time you were seen online on WhatsApp, you can now choose the ‘My Contacts Except’ option. It goes without saying that it is going to come in handy when a relationship turns sour. However, you will have to wait before this option goes live. According to WABetaInfo, the new privacy feature is under development and hasn’t even made it to beta versions.
Similar features have been offered by WhatsApp rivals for years. In addition to an option to completely ghost your contacts, Snapchat enables you to share the activity with Friends, My Friends Except, and Only These Friends. Telegram, too, enables users to share their updates with Everyone, My Contacts, Nobody, and Never Share With. The Signal instant messaging app doesn’t make it to this list as it claims to focus on user privacy and hence completely lacks features like ‘Last seen’ and Status.
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