New privacy features announced by WhatsApp, including silently leaving groups

In the coming weeks, WhatsApp will roll out new privacy features, including the ability to leave groups silently

In addition to offering new privacy features, WhatsApp on Tuesday announced that users will now be able to leave groups silently and choose who can see their online status. Screenshots of ‘view once’ messages will also be blocked by WhatsApp.

The new privacy features on WhatsApp include the ability to exit group chats without letting everyone know, the ability to control who can see when you are online, and the ability to prevent screenshots being taken from view once messages. Founder and CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, said: “We’ll continue to develop ways to protect your messages and make them as private and secure as a face-to-face conversation.”

With the ‘Leave Groups Silently‘ feature, WhatsApp users can exit a group privately without letting everyone know. In place of notifying the entire group when leaving, only admins will be notified. By the end of this month, all users will be able to take advantage of this new feature.

“Seeing when friends or family are online makes us feel closer to one another, but we have all had times when we have wanted to check our WhatsApp privately. WhatsApp is introducing the ability to choose who can and cannot see when you’re online for those times when you want your online presence to remain private,” the company said in a statement. “This feature will be rolled out to all users this month.”

Also, screenshots will no longer be allowed for ‘View Once Messages‘ in the instant messaging application. It noted that ‘View Once‘ is already incredibly popular for sharing photos or media that don’t require a permanent digital record. To add an extra layer of security, WhatsApp now blocks screenshots in View Once messages. Users will soon be able to use this feature, which is currently being tested.

According to WhatsApp, the introduction of these new features is backed by a new study that found that 72% of people value being able to speak honestly and unfilteredly, but that more than 47% are comfortable doing so in a private setting.

51% of people prefer to remain hidden online when they need more privacy to choose who they would like to communicate with. Blocking features are considered important by 91% of those who are aware of them. Because of this, WhatsApp has introduced new layers of protection that enable users to communicate freely and privately.

It will also launch a new campaign to spread awareness about the new features, starting in the UK and India.

At WhatsApp, we’re committed to building product features that give people more control and privacy over their messages. In order to keep their conversations secure, we’ve added interlocking layers of protection over the years, and the new features are another way we continue to keep messages private,” Ami Vora, WhatsApp’s Head of Products, said.

She pointed out that no other global messaging service of this scale provides users with the same level of security for their messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups. “We believe WhatsApp to be the most secure way to have private conversations. In addition, we are launching a global campaign in the UK and India to educate people about how WhatsApp protects private conversations,” she said.