Summary
- WhatsApp’s latest beta update makes privacy settings more accessible for Status updates, saving users from potential embarrassment.
- Users can choose to share updates with all contacts or some contacts just before hitting send.
- This feature is currently part of WhatsApp beta for Android, though it’s not widely available to all beta testers yet.
A WhatsApp Status update is a quick way to let all (or some) of your contacts know what’s going on in your life, with images, videos, or text posts shared in this fashion disappearing within 24 hours. The app already provides top-notch privacy options, such as limiting who can view your updates. We’re now learning that WhatsApp could make these options even more easily accessible with a forthcoming update to the app.
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According to the WhatsApp experts at WABetaInfo, the app’s latest beta (version 2.24.12.27) shows a new privacy menu right before a Status is shared. Users get the option to share a status update with All contacts, or just Specific contacts, which are ones that have been preselected by the user.
This is a nice little reminder for the users to change the update’s visibility settings at the last minute. It’s currently unclear if the changes made in this menu will apply to the next Status update. In its current form, WhatsApp lets users control who gets to view Status updates via Settings > Privacy. Furthermore, users can also select who views their updates within the Status editor page.
This feature could save you from potential embarrassment
We can imagine a scenario where this can be annoying, especially if the menu appears each time you share a Status update. But on the bright side, it gives users a last-minute look at the privacy settings before hitting send, thus sparing them from any potential embarrassment.
The pace of this feature’s rollout is hard to determine, with WABetaInfo saying only a few beta testers are seeing it on their devices. But it will eventually appear to most WhatsApp beta users, the site says. It’s also too early to tell if this feature will ever make it to the stable version of the Meta-owned chat app.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also prepping some algorithmic improvements for Status updates, ensuring the most relevant updates appear at the beginning of the list. So instead of viewing these updates in reverse chronological order, updates from people you frequently talk to or contacts that are pinned in the Chats tab will be at the front of the horizontal list. The chat app will also move expiring updates to the front, while official announcements from WhatsApp will also appear at the beginning of the row.
