WhatsApp is currently rolling out new privacy options to better protect the privacy of its users, including preventing certain people from seeing their personal information.

WhatsApp is currently rolling out new privacy options to better protect the privacy of its users, including preventing certain people from seeing their personal information.

WhatsApp is a great instant messenger. But, like many other digital tools, it can lead to abuse. It is thus very easy to obtain private information about someone from their phone number alone (see our practical sheet). And even without going as far as this form of espionage, certain functions of the application can lead to embarrassing situations. This is the case, for example, of the statement Seen at which indicates the day and time of the last connection of a contact – which could be annoying when you read a message to which you do not want to answer immediately…

Since June 16, 2022, new functions have been deployed to all users in order to solve this problem and give them back some control over the visibility of their personal information. Thus, it is now possible to choose the contacts authorized to see their profile photo, their personal information as well as the time of their last connection. You can even turn off the notification Seen at for specific contacts. Convenient, when more thought is needed to answer or when you don’t want it. Indeed, until now, the application only offered three options to limit the audience of this information: Everybody, My contacts and Nobody. A fourth option is now available: My contacts except…

How to limit the visibility of personal information in WhatsApp?

To control who has access to their personal information, nothing could be simpler!

► Open the app. Press the three little dots at the very top right.

► Press Settings.

► Press Accounts, just below your profile picture, next to the small key.

► Then tap on the first option, Privacy, next to the small padlock.

► You can then modify the visibility of four personal information: Seen, Profile picture, News and Status. Tap the one that interests you.

► Four options are available to you: visibility for Everybodyfor meare contactsfor My contacts except… – which allows you to exclude specific people – and Nobody.

However, these functions have some limitations. So if you don’t share your mention Seen to certain contacts, you won’t be able to see mentions of them in your messages. Nor is it possible to hide your presence when you are On line Where Writing.