The WhatsApp chat service gives users more control over their privacy settings. For example, they can now set which specific contacts are allowed to see their profile picture, and also for whom the “info” text and “last seen” status is visible.
More information about privacy settings can be found on the WhatsApp website. It can be found by going to the “Settings” tab in WhatsApp and then selecting “Account” and “Privacy”. Previously there were no specific people to notice, now this option has been added.
The new option is called “My contacts, except…”. This allows users to set exceptions. For example, they can specify that all contacts are allowed to see a WhatsApp profile picture, except, for example, mysterious acquaintances or business contacts.
WhatsApp also announced an update for group phone calls. Participants can mute specific people or send a private message directly from the conversation.
If someone joins the voice call while it is already in progress, WhatsApp will announce it with a notification from now on. This way, all participants in the conversation are notified and other users cannot intervene quietly.