WhatsApp is testing a new feature that reminds users of their status' privacy settings before sharing. Users can choose to share their status with either all contacts, specific groups, or pre-set contacts, making it easier to share with specific audiences without needing to constantly adjust privacy settings. The new update is only available to some Beta testers at the moment, via the Google Play app and will be rolling out to others in the coming days.
Enhanced Privacy Control
According to a recent report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will add another layer of privacy to your status updates. The publication states that the new WhatsApp beta Android 2.24.12.27 update discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a status privacy confirmation feature. This means that users can control who sees their individual status updates. Anytime a user uploads a WhatsApp status, a prompt appears right before they hit share, showing them their status' privacy settings and asking them if they wish to change it. By showing the status privacy settings before sharing content, users can post their status updates to specific groups without adjusting their settings for each status individually.
Users can share a status update with All contacts or Specific contacts previously set up by the user. Right now, WhatsApp lets users control who gets to view Status updates through Settings > Privacy; users can also select who views their updates on the Status Editor page.
(Image credit: WABetaInfo)
Ensuring Intended Audience
With this new update, WhatsApp aims to remind users to whom this status update is visible and adjust their privacy settings, ensuring that their content reaches only the "intended" contacts. Recently announced that it will allow longer status updates and voice notes. This allows users to upload WhatsApp status videos for up to one minute. These changes allow users to share longer moments and stories with their friends and family. Additionally, WhatsApp is said to be improving the overall status experience by lining up the most relevant updates at the beginning of the list. This means updates from people you frequently talk to or contacts pinned in the Chats tab will be the first to pop on the horizontal list (via Android Police).
Android Central has contacted WhatsApp about this, but it did not get back to us in time for publication. We will update this article once we have more information.