WhatsApp’s new replace makes it simpler to keep away from your pals

WhatsApp is rolling out a solution to conceal your “last seen” standing from particular contacts, in addition to the power to depart a gaggle with out notifying different customers.

Last December, WhatsApp began hiding customers’ on-line standing from strangers by default. While this was a step in the proper path, it nonetheless permits your whole checklist of contacts to see whether or not or not you’re on-line. WhatsApp’s upcoming replace is meant to repair that, although, as it would allow you to select which contacts can see your standing. So in case you don’t need somebody to know that you just’re ignoring their message, toggle on the setting for that consumer, they usually’ll (hopefully) by no means know the distinction.

WhatsApp can also be launching one other useful characteristic that can allow you to silently depart teams. Right now, the app (very obnoxiously) notifies each consumer within the group of your departure, which may immediate some group members to message you privately to ask why you left. The new characteristic is the digital equal to the Irish Goodbye — the act of leaving a celebration with out telling anybody — and will assist remove the awkwardness that comes together with exiting a chat.

WhatsApp says it’ll begin rolling out these two options this month, and that it’s additionally engaged on a solution to block customers from taking screenshots of “view once” messages. Unlike disappearing messages, view as soon as messages don’t vanish after a selected time restrict — they go away after the recipient has seen it as soon as, kind of like a photograph or video despatched by means of Snapchat. Adding a solution to block screenshots may assist stop customers from saving or sharing delicate data with others. This characteristic’s nonetheless in testing, however WhatsApp says it’ll begin rolling it out to customers “soon.”

WhatsApp has made a number of different small, however significant updates this 12 months. In addition to rolling out emoji reactions and introducing a solution to velocity up voice messages, the platform additionally began letting Android customers switch their chat historical past to iPhone.