WhatsApp Reportedly Starts Testing Improved 'Last Seen' Controls
WhatsApp is reportedly testing expanded privacy controls on iOS and Android.
WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp version 22.9.0.70, which started to roll out to iOS beta testers on April 16, includes new privacy settings that reached Android testers in March.
The report indicates that a new setting "lets you exclude some people from seeing your information on WhatsApp." That includes things like profile photos, information shared via the About profile section, and the Last Seen feature that says when a user was recently active.
WhatsApp previously offered users a binary choice between sharing their profile photos, About sections, and Last Seen data with all of their contacts or with none of them. These new settings afford users more granular control over the information they share and with whom.
WABetaInfo notes that choosing to hide Last Seen data from a contact will prevent users from seeing that person's Last Seen data, too, presumably so the feature can't be abused. But that doesn't appear to be the case for people who choose not to share profile photos or About info.
These granular controls started to roll out with the release of WhatsApp for iOS version 22.9.0.70 on April 16, but they don't appear to have reached all beta testers at time of writing.
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