-Platform will allow stealth mode and prevent screenshots of ‘view once’ messages
-Group discussions are one of the recent new features for WhatsApp’s toolkit that have seen a major development
-Through a ‘login feature’ on WhatsApp, the user will get in-app alerts when someone else will try to log in to their account
New Delhi / San Francisco, NFAPost: WhatsApp users will be able to choose who can see if they are online, leave group chats without notifying other members, and prevent screenshots of ‘view once’ messages, the Meta-owned platform said on Tuesday.
The new WhatsApp features “provide users more privacy, more protection, and more control,” said Mark Zuckerberg, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Meta Platforms, which also owns Facebook. The features start rolling out to all users this month.
“We’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.
“Seeing when friends or family are online helps users feel connected to one another, but everyone has had times when they wanted to check their WhatsApp privately. For the times you want to keep your online presence private, WhatsApp is introducing the ability to select who can and can’t see when you’re online,” the company said in a statement.
The messaging app said a privacy study found the majority of users prefer to stay hidden online. “72% of people said they value being able to speak in an honest, unfiltered way — but more than 47% are only comfortable doing this in a safe, private space,” the study found.
It added that around 72% of people said they value being able to speak in an honest, unfiltered way — but more than 47% per cent are only comfortable doing this in a safe, private space. “They are particularly cautious online, ranking privacy in their private messages as most important — compared to emails, texts or social media.”
To address these concerns, WhatsApp will enable screenshot blocking for ‘view once messages’ adding a layer of protection. Users will be able to exit a group privately without having to notify everyone. Instead of notifying the full group when leaving, only the admins will be notified when a member leaves the group.
“At WhatsApp, we’re focused on building product features that empower people to have more control and privacy over their messages,” said Ami Vora, head of product at WhatsApp.
“To spread the word about these new features, we’re also kicking off a global campaign, starting with the UK and India, to educate people about how we work to protect their private conversations on WhatsApp,” Vora said.
Now you can find out who left WhatsApp group chats using new feature
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According to Mashable, the site also debuted Communities, a brand-new way to connect with individuals who share your interests and raised the maximum number of participants in group talks from 100 to 512.
Administrators and users reportedly want to keep track of those who have lately left the chat in such large groups. Since WhatsApp is beta-testing a function, you are not forced to rely on hunches or ask around.
The group managers and members of WhatsApp’s iPhone beta version 22.16.0.75 may see who left the group or was removed from it within the last 60 days (via WABetaInfo). Under the list of current participants on the “Group information” page, a new option called “See Past Participants” is now accessible.
There is also a separate search box for the list of banned users, which might be helpful for lengthy chats where people often leave and rejoin. The feature may also be helpful for small businesses who use WhatsApp groups for internal communication or client involvement.
Additionally, the present system for notifying the chat when a participant leaves or gets booted is being abandoned. Only admins will be notified of such incidents through in-chat; this may be done to speed up moderation. The names of the group members who have left will thus only be included in the list of “Past Participants”.
The software is cross-platform, we believe it should be released for Android and desktop as soon as possible. For iOS users that are a part of WhatsApp TestFlight, the feature has already begun to roll out, as reported by Mashable.
A recent observation of WhatsApp testing an Android capability that would enable group administrators to assist with content filtering by deleting messages.
WhatsApp working on ‘login approval’ feature for additional security
To prevent hacks and data breaches and further boost safety provisions for its users, Meta Platform Inc’s WhatsApp is working to introduce a new feature of ‘login approval.’ This new feature will also help prevent WhatsApp accounts from being stolen, a report by Business Insider said.
Through this ‘login feature’ on WhatsApp, the user will get in-app alerts when some other person (or hacker) will try to log in to their account, the report said. Thus, the feature will provide an additional layer of security on the instant messaging platform and help accounts from being stolen.
Suitable for multi-device users, this new safety feature will enable users to secure themselves from potential fraudsters.
How will the login feature work on WhatsApp?
Whenever a new user, or if the original user of the account will try to log in from an unknown device, the login feature will send the primary device a notification. The user, in the notification alert, then will be asked to either allow or deny the login attempt. The user will also be notified about the time of login attempt and the device used for login.
When will WhatsApp rollout this feature?
WhatsApp is currently working on this feature and it has not been disclosed yet when it will go live for all users.
Reportedly, the company is also working on a feature that would enable the user to see previous participants in a particular group. But, WhatsApp is currently only working on this feature for iOS and it will be initially rolled out for iPhone users.
Agencies
