Would you like to act as if you haven't been online recently? And if so, do you want to hide your presence from specific individuals only? Such as your boss, your ex, or your friends who enjoy jokes? Great news: WhatsApp is testing a feature that allows you to conceal your "Last Seen" information from certain contacts.
Previously, WhatsApp had this feature in a much simpler form. The "Last seen" line below your username in the chat window could reveal your last activity to everyone, your contacts, or nobody. The updated version introduces an additional option: "My Contact Except…" Except for whom? You can select it by choosing this option and then picking those contacts from your list who are not permitted to see your online status.
This new option is accessible within your privacy settings. Similarly, you can hide your profile details and profile picture from specific contacts. These sections are managed independently, allowing you to hide your "Last Seen" from one group of contacts and your profile picture from another. For instance, your bothersome boss won't see when you were last online, and nobody will see your cheerful vacation photo that you've set as your profile picture for a period, except for a select few friends who joined you on that secretive trip.
The new feature was first spotted in WhatsApp Beta 22.9.0.70 for Android. In April 2022, the popular site WABetaInfo discovered it and explored its functionality. To use it, you just need to have the latest version installed. Contacts not included in the default whitelist will not be able to see your last seen information, regardless of the version they are using. It remains unclear when this feature will be released in stable versions.
Have you already updated to this beta version to improve your privacy? If so, how has it been working for you? What are your overall thoughts on it? Feel free to share your feedback with us in the comments!
