A brand new privacy feature has just dropped on WhatsApp, and will be rolling out to thousands of users across the month of August.
The new addition is being praised as a 'godsend' for those who want to leave a chat discreetly without the hassle of a private message pinging in moments after departing - 'Why did you leave the chat?'.
As part of the newest update, users will be given the option to leave group chats without notifying other members, and control who can see when they are online as well.
Other additional updates include the ability to block people from taking screenshots of 'View Once' messages, that are designed to disappear after being read initially. This tool is currently in testing, and WhatsApp have confirmed that it will be released to users soon.
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At the moment, when a WhatsApp user leaves a group chat, a notification appears in the message thread, letting others know that they have departed the chat. Now, as well as being able to turn off when others will know if you have read a message, it will now be possible to hide the fact that you are also online, and if you have left a chat.
The platform, owned by Meta, has said that the newest features are aiming to keep improving the privacy around online conversations. Campaigns that concern end-to-end encryption have argued that these changes can keep criminals safe from detection, but Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg has calmed these fears.
He said in the announcement post: "We’ll keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
WhatsApp's head of product, Ami Vora, also said that the platform is focused on building features that “empower people to have more control and privacy over their messages”.
She added: "Over the years, we’ve added interlocking layers of protection to help keep their conversations secure, and the new features is one way we continue to deliver on our commitment to keep messages private.
“No other global messaging service at this scale provides this level of security for their users’ messages, media, voice messages, video calls, and chat backups.
“We believe WhatsApp is the most secure place to have a private conversation. And to spread the word about these new features, we’re also kicking off a global campaign, starting with the UK and India, to educate people about how we work to protect their private conversations on WhatsApp.”
For more information about WhatsApp's newest update, check out the Meta website here.
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