14 DAY TRIAL // It’s only been a day since WhatsApp added a new feature that may or may not come in handy for users, namely the possibility to see when the recipient reads your message.
Those who really care about privacy are the most fierce and vocal enemies of the new feature introduced by WhatsApp in the latest update. Obviously, adding new features is always good, but when it comes to privacy, things are very sensitive.
WhatsApp made the mistake of introducing the blue check marks feature without giving users the possibility to choose whether or not they want it enabled on their smartphones.
Learning from its mistakes, the company seems to be determined to address concerns of privacy invasion by adding the option to disable the blue check marks in the application.
The folks over at Myce report that one of WhatsApp’s beta testers has confirmed that developers have already implemented the feature in a beta version, which is currently being tested.
Ilhan Pektas claims that those annoyed by the blue check marks won’t have to wait too long for the new option to arrive on their smartphones, though it’s impossible to know for sure when exactly it will be released.
Those out of the loop have probably noticed that their WhatsApp now displays two blue check marks after almost each message that they send. This means that the person you sent the message to has already read it.
Up until now, the application displayed two gray check marks, which meant the message had been successfully delivered. There was no way to know whether or not your messages had been read by the recipient.
You can avoid the new feature temporarily, but only on the Android platform
The last update introduced this feature for WhatsApp users on all platforms (Android, BlackBerry, iOS, and Windows Phone). The bad news is that the new feature came via a silent update, so you could have not prevented it from being installed.
However, if you consider that your privacy has been invaded with the addition of this feature, there’s a simple way through which you can avoid it until WhatsApp adds a way to disable it.
The method only works for Android handsets and requires you to create a WhatsApp widget on one of your home screens where new messages will be displayed. You will be able to scroll through messages and read them if they’re not that long, as the new feature won’t pop in.
However, if you decide to tap on one of these messages, then the person who sent it will know that you have already read it. Let’s hope WhatsApp will bring the option to disable the blue check marks sooner rather than later.
Die Einstellung, die blauen Häkchen auszustellen, wird bald möglich sein. #WhatsApp
— Ilhan Pektas (@0xmaciln) November 6, 2014