WhatsApp is introducing a way to hide “Last Seen” status from certain contacts, as well as the ability to leave the group unnoticed. Messenger began hiding a user’s online status from unknown people by default last December. While this was a step in the right direction, it still allows your entire contact list to see whether or not you are online.
However, an upcoming update to WhatsApp should fix this, as it will allow you to choose which contacts can see your status. So if you don’t want someone to know that you’re ignoring their message, just toggle the setting for that user.
WhatsApp will also bring another handy feature that allows you to leave groups without being notified. Right now, the app notifies every user in the group when you leave, which may prompt some group members to write you a private message to ask why you left. The new feature is the digital equivalent of an “Irish goodbye” (when a person leaves a party without notice). The feature should help eliminate the awkwardness of leaving a chat room.
WhatsApp announces that it will begin implementing these two features this month and that it is also working to block users from taking screenshots of “view once” messages. Unlike disappearing messages, “view once” messages don’t disappear after a certain period. They disappear after the recipient has seen them once, like photos or videos sent via Snapchat.
The addition of the ability to block screenshots could help prevent confidential information from being saved or shared with other users. The feature is still in the testing phase, but WhatsApp plans to begin making it available to users “soon”.
