WhatsApp’s user base is in billions, and it offers several privacy-centric features on supported platforms. However, most of the settings are turned off by default, which somewhat hampers user privacy.
After all, maintaining your privacy is an essential part of staying anonymous online. Not everyone needs to know your presence in the messaging app, see your profile picture, or add you to random groups.
We have prepared this guide to help you stay private on WhatsApp. It will walk you through some of WhatApp’s privacy options that you should change immediately.
Change your last seen status in WhatsApp for Android
The last seen status is one of the oldest features found in WhatsApp. It gives other users a timestamp of your last presence in the app. You might want to change your last seen status setting if you wish to keep it anonymous for others. Here’s how:
- First, bring up the app drawer and launch WhatsApp.
- Tap the kebab (⋮) icon on the app’s upper-right corner and then tap Settings in the drop-down menu.
- Now go to the Account settings page, followed by tapping the Privacy option.
- In the Privacy menu, select Last Seen and choose one of the following options:
- Everyone: All WhatsApp users will be able to see your last seen status.
- My contacts: Only the people added to your contacts will get to see your last seen timestamp.
- Nobody: It disables WhatsApp’s last seen status feature and keeps your presence hidden for all users.
It’s worth noting that disabling the last seen feature hinders your ability to see other contacts’ last seen status.
Change your status post settings in WhatsApp for Android
Status on WhatsApp is similar to Instagram Stories. It allows users to post a picture or video that others get to see only for 24 hours. If you find yourself using this feature regularly, you can control who gets to see and open your status updates.
- Open WhatsApp and swipe to the Status tab.
- Click the kebab icon (⋮) on the top-right corner of the screen and select Status privacy in the action menu.
- Now choose who can see your status updates:
- My contacts: All your contacts will be able to see your WhatsApp status.
- My contacts except: You get the ability to blacklist select contacts from checking your status.
- Only share with: Choose this option if you wish to share status posts with select contacts only.
- At last, tap Done to save your changes.
Change profile photo settings in WhatsApp for Android
WhatsApp has been giving users the option to add/change/remove profile photos ever since its launch. Fortunately, you can easily change who can see your profile photo.
- Head over to the Account page from WhatsApp’s main Settings menu.
- Next, tap Privacy and then select the Profile photo option.
- After that, choose one of the following options:
- Everyone: Your profile photo will be visible to every WhatsApp user.
- My contacts: Only people from your contacts will see your photo.
- Nobody: It hides your profile photo from all WhatsApp users.
Block users in WhatsApp for Android
If someone in your contacts keeps bothering you over WhatsApp, you can choose to block them from sending you messages on the platform. Simply follow the steps below.
- Start with going to the WhatsApp Settings from the action menu.
- Proceed to the Account > Privacy page, then scroll down and tap the Blocked contacts option.
- Tap the Add Contact button in the upper-right corner of the following screen.
- Now choose the contact you wish to block in WhatsApp.
That’s it! The blocked contact won’t be able to send you messages on WhatsApp anymore. You can later remove the contact from the blocklist to allow the user to communicate with you again.
Change phone number in WhatsApp for Android
If you want to change your phone number in WhatsApp, perform the steps as shown below. Note that you won’t lose your conversation histories with other contacts.
- Visit WhatsApp’s Account Settings page and tap Change number.
- Tap Next, then enter your old phone number to verify it’s you.
- After that, type in your new phone number and tap Next again.
As you can see, it’s just a matter of a few steps to changing your phone number in WhatsApp. Note that your contacts can’t send you messages in WhatsApp again until you reach out to them with your new phone number.
Enable fingerprint lock in WhatsApp for Android
If you wish to keep your WhatsApp conversations private from your roommates or family members, consider enabling fingerprint lock so that only you can access WhatsApp on your Android device.
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy menu, then scroll down and tap Fingerprint lock.
- Enable Unlock with fingerprint, then confirm it by placing your registered finger on the scanner.
You can also change the auto-lock period and show/hide content in notifications from the same screen. From now on, you must verify your fingerprint in order to access your WhatsApp chats.
Talha Ali is your tech generalist, covering a wide spectrum of topics within the ever-evolving world of technology. With a curiosity for the latest innovations, industry trends, and breakthroughs. Whether it’s hardware, software, emerging technologies, or the intersection of tech with daily life, Talha’s articles provide readers with a well-rounded perspective on the dynamic landscape of the tech industry.
