WhatsApp is the most commonly used instant messaging app having more than 400 million users in India itself. This also means that the company has to ensure the privacy of its users. In an effort to do that, the Facebook-owned app has seen a variety of updates over the years and while some of them have brought new and interesting features, some of them have brought an extra layer of security. Here we have five privacy features of the messaging app you should know:
1) Report, Block Users
WhatsApp users who do not want to receive messages or voice, as well as video calls over the app from another user, can block or block and report them. If the name of the person is not saved in the contact list or phonebook of WhatsApp user, then the option to block will appear in the chat window itself. In case the number is saved, then Android users can follow these steps:
· Go to WhatsApp and select the name of the person whom you want to block
· Click on three dots in the top right corner in the chat window
· Select ‘More’ option, choose block from the drop-down menu
For iOS users:
· Go to WhatsApp and select the name of the person whom you want to block
· Tap on the Top Bar
· The Second last option on the page is 'Block'.
2) Biometric Lock
Providing an extra layer of security for users, this feature ensures that no one else is can read a user's messages. For Android users, there is 'Fingerprint ID', while iOS users can secure the messages with Touch ID and Face ID. To enable the feature on their devices, WhatsApp users can follow these steps:
Fingerprint ID: People using WhatsApp on their Android devices can follow the below-mentioned steps to enable Fingerprint ID feature on the app:
· Go to the settings option on your WhatsApp
· Click on Account
· Go to Privacy option
· Tick on 'enable Fingerprint lock'
Touch ID and Face ID: Apple device owners using WhatsApp can follow these steps to enable Touch ID and Face ID on the app:
· Go to the settings option on your WhatsApp
· Click on Account
· Go to Privacy option
· Go to Screen Lock
· Enable Touch ID or Face ID.
3) Choose who can see your display picture and status
WhatsApp users enjoy the option of choosing who can or cannot see their display picture, status and status story. WhatsApp also gives its users to permit only those people whom they want to see their profile pictures. There are three options for users: “Everyone”, “My Contacts” and “Nobody” and by selecting either of them, users can provide access accordingly.
To enable the privacy feature:
· Go to the Settings option of WhatsApp
· Click on Account
· Go to Privacy option
· Click on Profile Photo
· Choose one of the three options that are available
To stop people from viewing your status story, which stays 24 hours after being uploaded, iOS users can follow these steps:
· Go to Status tab option on your WhatsApp
· Click on Privacy option on the top left
· Select from three options - My contact, My Contacts Except…., Only Share With….
4) Select who can add you to WhatsApp groups
WhatsApp gives you the option of creating groups to make communication easy between multiple users. Of course, there are a few users who do not want to be added to certain groups and for that, the company recently introduced a solution. WhatsApp’s group privacy gives users the option to decide who they want to give access to add them to a group. Users get options which allow them to give access to “Everyone”, “My Contacts”, and “Nobody”.
5) Disable ‘read message’ feature
The blue tick feature on WhatsApp helps users know if the message that they have sent is read by the recipient or not. However, there are some users who do not want the senders to know whether the message has been read by them or not. To disable the blue ticks, or read message feature on the app, users can follow the below steps:
· Go to the Settings option in your WhatsApp
· Click on Account
· Go on the Privacy option
· Turn off Read Receipts
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