WhatsApp’s new update restricts the visibility of your status to persons you’ve added to the platform, and instead sets to “My Contacts.” Although the “My Contacts” option for your “last seen” status was already accessible, it was never the app’s default. It’s also worth noting that WhatsApp already provides a “Nobody” option that hides your status from all users. Other WhatsApp contacts can see when you were last online or if you’re actively using the service by checking your status. Users who have your phone number saved in their address book or who have previously communicated with you will not be affected, according to the company. “To protect our users’ privacy and security, we’ve made it more difficult for people you don’t know or haven’t interacted with to see your last seen and online status on WhatsApp. This will have no effect on your relationships with friends, family, or businesses whom you know or have previously messaged”. WhatsApp’s “last seen” status isn’t the only thing that’s changing. WABetaInfo reported in November that the messaging app was testing a feature named “My Contacts Except…,” which allows users to hide their status from specific contacts. WhatsApp has also worked to improve user privacy by offering a setting that allows users to make the disappearing messages feature the default.
