FILE - WhatsApp to allow you to hide ‘Online’ status. FILE PHOTO: MARCELO SAYAO/EPA
Johannesburg - “I can see you’re online but not replying to me!” After a fight with a girlfriend or argument with a mother-in-all, these words and the prying eyes of stalkers could be a thing of the past.
The instant messaging app WhatsApp is expected to roll out new features again, the most anticipated of which is the ability to hide your ‘Online’ status.
It’s among a string of new features expected to be released by the Meta-owned social network, WhatsApp update blog, wabetainfo.com.
The blog has been responsible for accurately reporting previous app features and said that the ability to control online status would be rolled out soon.
“We announced that WhatsApp is finally working on the ability to hide the online status thanks to a new privacy setting called “who can see when I’m online”. This feature has been very appreciated, and it is surely the best news of the week,” the blog reported.
Other new features expected to come to WhatsApp soon include:
– Avatars used while placing video calls.
– “Delete for everyone” 2 days, 12 hours.
– The ability to leave groups silently.
– A blur tool for the media editor to blur-out images before sending.
The new features build off existing attempts to offer users more privacy. Most recently, WhatsApp announced that users would soon be able to hide their profile photos, among other information.
As part of its efforts to enhance its privacy and security features, the instant messager recently said it would allow users to select which contacts will be able to see a user’s Profile Photo, About, and Last Seen status information within the app.
Like the online status ability, the feature becomes useful for users who would want to have an image up as a profile photo or last seen but would not like all their contacts to be able to view it.
The WhatsApp announcement sees the platform borrowing already-existing privacy settings available for statuses. These controls will be accessible to most of the information that users share on the platform.
WhatsApp’s competitor, instant messaging app Telegram, introduced similar features. Despite this, the new security enhancements from WhatsApp make privacy settings more customisable than Telegram and thus allows users to have more control over what they share with who.
The new features from WhatsApp also come amid the company’s push toward enhancing community engagement.
IOL Tech