WhatsApp Announces New Privacy Features: Users Can Now Leave Groups Silently

WhatsApp has announced three new major privacy features that will change how we use the application in many ways. Keep reading to find out more about the new features.

WhatsApp will now allow its users to leave group chats without notifying others in the group and control who can see when they are online as part of a privacy update to the messaging app. As part of the update, which will be rolled out this month, users will also be able to block other users from taking screenshots of View Once messages, which are designed to disappear after being opened.

Currently, when a user leaves a group chat, a notification appears at the bottom of the conversation informing others in the group who has left. And let’s face it! It’s an awkward situation. Thankfully, the new update will let you discreetly leave a group you are no longer interested in. And while we already can turn off a feature that tells others if they have read a message, it has not been possible until now to hide the fact that we are online and using WhatsApp.

The upcoming features were announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a Facebook post. The company has said that the new features are aimed to keep improving the privacy around online conversations.

Ami Vora, WhatsApp’s head of product, said the platform was focused on building features that “empower people to have more control and privacy over their messages”. “Over the years, we’ve added interlocking layers of protection to help keep their conversations secure, and the new features is one way we continue to deliver on our commitment to keep messages private,” she said.

“No other global messaging service at this scale provides this level of security for their users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups,” she added. “We believe WhatsApp is the most secure place to have a private conversation. And 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.”

Meanwhile, the tool to block screenshots is currently being tested and will be released to users soon.