14 DAY TRIAL // WhatsApp has introduced a new privacy change whose purpose is to make it harder for people you don’t know to see your status.
On WhatsApp, the status also includes information like the last time you were online, so the Meta-owned company has decided to hide these details automatically from strangers online.
In other words, people that you never chatted with will no longer be able to see when you were online the last time.
As WABetaInfo notes, several mobile apps out there have been specifically developed with a very simple purpose in mind: track user-defined phone numbers and monitor the last seen and the online status. With today’s update, these apps are pretty much useless because WhatsApp no longer allows numbers you don’t know to see the status.
Available on iPhone and Android
The company hasn’t released any official announcement on this new feature, but a response from WhatsApp Support confirms the last seen and the online status are no longer available for people you’ve never talked to.
On the other hand, if you’ve previously chatted with a contact or a business, they would be able to see your last seen information just fine.
“To improve the privacy and security of our users, we're making it harder for people you don't know and haven't chatted with from seeing your last seen and online presence on WhatsApp. This will not change anything between you and your friends, family, and businesses who you know or have previously messaged,” WhatsApp support explains.
WhatsApp is also working on more privacy controls that would be released in a future update and which would allow users to set up last seen and online status information rules per each contact. There’s no ETA at this point as to when this new feature could go live for all devices out there.