WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out new granular privacy controls to some testers on the latest beta version of the app for iOS, allowing for advanced management of privacy settings on the app. use. First discovered during development last year, the feature is designed to give users granular control over who can see their profile picture, referrers, and viewers. last seen them on the messaging service. While some testers can now access these features on the beta for iOS and Android, WhatsApp has yet to announce when these privacy settings will be rolled out to all users.
According to a report by WhatsApp with the tracking feature WABetaInfo, the messaging service owned by Meta has begun rolling out granular privacy controls for profile pictures, ‘About’ and ‘Last Seen’ descriptions on WhatsApp. Users who have signed up to receive the beta build through TestFlight who can update to the WhatsApp beta for iOS 22.9.0.7.70 can see the features enabled in the app. The new settings appear to be enabled via a server-side switch, as some users may have to wait 24 hours to see the new settings, according to the feature tracker.
New WhatsApp privacy controls for users on the latest iOS beta
Image source: WABetaInfo
Users who have updated to the latest beta version can go to WhatsApp Settings and select Accountthen tap Privacy. Under each of the three sections there is a title About, Last seen and Profile photothe user will be able to see a new option titled My Contacts Except… – this will prevent any selected contacts from seeing their profile picture, last seen or about profile sections. Previously, WhatsApp would only allow users to choose among Everybody, My Contactsand Nobody.
According to feature trackers, excluding a contact from seeing when you were last seen on WhatsApp will hide their last seen from you, but this does not happen when excluding them from viewing about or your last seen, according to the feature tracker. The same is true for users on the beta version of WhatsApp for Android who also receive The same feature last month with WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.8.9 launched on March 29. Gadgets 360 can confirm that granular privacy controls are enabled and working on the latest version of WhatsApp beta for Android.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp announced a new Community feature to give admins greater control over groups. With the new feature, multiple groups can be added to a Community and admins can send a message to everyone. WhatsApp is also bringing more improvements to the messaging service, including increased file sharing limits, new reactions, and the ability to make group audio calls with up to 32 people simultaneously, according to the company.
