WhatsApp is rolling out more privacy controls for Profile Photo, About, Status, and Last Seen settings, after showcasing the feature in beta last April. You could only restrict such settings for Everyone, My Contacts, or Nobody until now, but the latest version adds a “My Contacts Except” option that gives you a lot more flexibility.
The “Last Seen” status is a particular privacy danger, as it indicates when someone last checked the app. That provides a way to find out if a contact may have potentially seen your message even if they have read receipts turned off. The new feature allows you to shut off that feature for certain people, while also blocking Profile Photo, About, and Status for individual users.
If you restrict your Last Seen status to certain people, you’ll notice that you won’t be able to see their Last Seen status, either. The new settings are available via the three-dot menu in the upper right corner, then navigating to Account > Privacy.
WhatsApp has recently incorporated a number of new privacy and convenience features. Last year, the firm stated that consumers who refused to accept its revised privacy policy would have their accounts suspended, but it later changed its mind. The chat app announced a new feature earlier this week that makes it easy to migrate from Android to iOS.