Android users get a significant privacy update from WhatsApp

Users now have access to a new privacy feature on WhatsApp. One of the biggest updates to the messaging app is the ability to hide your online status in chats. The Signal app already includes this significant privacy feature. WhatsApp still lacks a few additional privacy features, like screenshot blocking and an incognito keyboard. But in order to give users more convenience and better control over their privacy, it is gradually integrating it into its messaging app.

Now, you can easily hide it by going to the settings section of WhatsApp if you don’t want your contacts to know when you are online or using the app. You won’t be able to see your friends’ online presence, though, if you disable the Online Status feature for them. The latest update can be found in the same section and operates similarly to the Last Seen feature.

Every feature, however, has a drawback, and this one is no different. WhatsApp’s most recent privacy update makes it challenging for users to determine if someone has blocked them. It will be challenging to recognize blocked status if a user hides all three privacy options (Online, Profile Photo, and Status) in the Privacy section of the app.

Users will now only have one choice for determining whether they have been blocked by someone. Two checkmarks in the chat window indicate that your message has been received and that you have not been blocked. The individual’s internet could, however, be down, and WhatsApp won’t function without it. Therefore, if the sender’s mobile data is turned off, the recipient won’t receive your message and the chat will only display one check mark. When the receiver turns on the internet, the chat will show two checkmarks if someone hasn’t blocked you.