Before the end of this month, the WhatsApp application will launch a feature that allows users to exit group conversations without alerting others to their exit, as part of a set of measures taken by the messaging platform to enhance privacy.
New feature of WhatsApp groups
Withdrawing from group chats on WhatsApp can be embarrassing, as all participants are notified after the person has left, and in larger groups it can also be annoying.
Instead of notifying all group members when someone leaves, only group admins will be notified, and the new feature will be rolled out for WhatsApp users this month.
This update is among a set of measures that the messaging platform is taking in an effort to enhance privacy, as another tool announced by the company is scheduled to allow users to hide the online feature so that others do not see that they are connected to the Internet.
WhatsApp is also testing a setting that prevents contacts from taking a screenshot in messages that display “once”, which cannot be accessed again after opening them.
Meta recalculates
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post that WhatsApp “will continue to build new ways to protect, keep messages private and secure, and that includes face-to-face conversations.”
WhatsApp Chief Development Officer Amy Fora said the app is focused on building additional features of control and privacy.
The company recently overhauled the Facebook app’s internal systems to “algorithmically prioritize recommended content”, with the creation of a new feed that displays posts from friends and family in reverse chronological order.
Meta is seeking to impress younger generation Z users who eschew social apps such as Instagram and Snapchat in favor of Tik Tok, a short video platform owned by ByteDance, which is now seen as a fierce competitor to Meta apps whose revenue has declined significantly.
Tik Tok is designed in such a way that it recommends content based on the interests of the users, which makes browsing the app very addictive.
