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Saturday November 23, 2024

You can now leave groups silently on WhatsApp

App introduces new feature, announces roll out of two others, and educates users on ensuring privacy

By Web Desk
August 11, 2022
A picture taken on March 23, 2022 in Moscow shows the US instant messaging software Whatsapp logo on a smartphone screen. — AFP/File
A picture taken on March 23, 2022 in Moscow shows the US instant messaging software Whatsapp logo on a smartphone screen. — AFP/File

Taking to it its official account on Twitter, WhatsApp released a thread on Wednesday keeping its users posted about the multiple layers of security to protect their privacy on the app.

The instant messaging application also revealed its new feature for silently leaving groups.

“Leave groups silently is a new feature that will only notify the admin when you leave a group chat. That means you can decide when to make a quiet exit—without everyone knowing,” WhatsApp tweeted.

The thread further informed users about the end-to-end encryption feature.

“End-to-end encryption is the foundation for all our privacy features. Every personal message sent on WhatsApp is automatically encrypted, protected and private,” tweeted the application owned by Meta, adding that only the users on either sides of the conversation can view what is being sent and received.

“Not even WhatsApp can read your personal messages,” the account tweeted.

Informing about its plans to roll out two new features — online presence and screenshot blocking, WhatsApp has users intrigued to enjoy more privacy while using the application.

“Online presence puts you in control of who can and can't see when you're online. Screenshot blocking for view once means your photos and videos will be protected from screenshots,” WhatsApp tweeted.

The application further enlightened users about its cloud back up feature for personal messages.

“Turn on encrypted backups to extend the security of end-to-end encryption to messages saved on your iCloud or Google Drive,” WhatsApp shared.

While most users are familiar with two-step verification, many tend to miss this very crucial privacy feature, WhatsApp stated that this acts as a second layer of protection to make your account extra secure.

“You choose a PIN that is required when someone logs into your account from a new device,” a tweet by the messaging application read.

The Twitter thread emphasised on the block feature to help users keep unsolicited contacts from messaging them and even reporting them if faced with spamming or problematic behavior.

Lastly, the messaging app also informed users about keeping its ‘disappearing messages’ feature on.

“Some conversations on WhatsApp don't need to last forever,” the tweet read, adding that setting a default message timer for all your new chats to disappear after 24 hours is helpful for additional privacy.