Whatsapp testing ‘My Contacts Except’ option in last seen, profile photo & about

Whatsapp Privacy
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By Arya M Nair, Official Reporter
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WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging app is testing new privacy features which will soon make it easier for people to hide their last seen, about status, and profile picture from selected contacts.

Users currently have only three options, that is, they can either let everyone view their profile photo, last seen, and status or they can keep it limited to their contacts or nobody. However, there is no way to keep the listed things hidden from certain people.

The privacy settings for the Groups and Status features, on the other hand, already allow users to select specific contacts who are not allowed to see their updates or add them to groups.

According to WhatsApp beta tracker WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on its updated privacy settings for both Android and iOS beta versions. The update is said to introduce a new My Contacts Except option.

The WhatsApp features tracker has not revealed how users can add contacts to the list, but it has shared reports of a new option in the privacy settings. It’s worth noting that if users don’t share their last seen, they won’t be able to see other people’s either.

The company launched the My Contacts Except privacy setting for its Status function in 2017. This was created to allow users to prevent selected contacts from seeing their status updates. In November 2019, WhatsApp added the My Contacts Except option to its group privacy settings, giving users more control over who among their contacts can add them to a group.

As of now, WhatsApp is testing its updated privacy settings internally, though it would be available to beta testers in a future update. The new privacy setting feature is expected to reduce potential abuse on the platform from specific contacts without disabling it altogether. 

Related: Whatsapp to support all emojis for message reactions, adds money heist stickers

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