WhatsApp recently launch a new visibility option that lets you hide your status information from specific contacts – and it's now bringing the privacy update to its desktop and web client.
More robust privacy settings arriving in the web and desktop version of WhatsApp follow a bunch of recent updates that have significantly boosted the user experience on WhatsApp by letting users have greater control over in-app voice messages.
As first reported by the folks over at WABetaInfo, the new privacy settings will allow users to select a new “My Contacts Except” option within WhatsApp’s Web/Desktop app. Akin to the mobile-based update, the feature allows one to hide their Last Seen, About section, and Profile picture information from specific contacts.
The existing desktop and web version only permits users to set status information to ‘everyone,’ ‘my contacts,’ and ‘nobody.’ The privacy update arrives in version 2.2149.1 and will follow the same functionality fully landing on the Android beta and Apple iOS beta for some of the best iPhone and best Android phones.
Granular controls
As you can see in this screenshot, the option “My Contact Except…” will be available for Last Seen, About, Profile Photo. When a user selects “My Contact Except…”, they can then decide who can see their status information on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is used for, amongst other things, communication with friends, family, and work colleagues.
More granular controls let you be more selective with who can see what on the app – something that's increasingly important as more and more people rely on the hyper-popular messenger. These privacy-based changes are another example of WhatsApp responding to user concerns around privacy.
