It looks like there is no end to the new features that will be rolled out by WhatsApp, the instant messaging platform under Meta (formerly Facebook). We say so, as a new feature that was awaited by many users has been spotted on the latest Android beta version of the app. The talk is about the option that will let you hide your “last seen” from certain people.

New WhatsApp Feature

As per a WABetaInfo report, this feature was spotted to be under development a few months back and it seems to have finally made its way to the beta version of the app now. With this feature, we can expect those who are using the beta version of the app to be able to hide their “last seen” from select users. Going by the previous WhatsApp updates, we can expect this feature under development to be rolled out to all users via the stable update in the coming months. We say so as the company is cautious about rolling out new features to the stable app.

Until now, WhatsApp users are able to set their “last seen” status to be viewed by everyone, their contacts and nobody. With this feature, users can select another option – their contacts except a blacklist of certain people as in status option. You will get this option called “My contacts except…”.

When you choose this option, you will be able to pick and choose those contacts to whom you want to disable the access to view your status update. However, the catch is that if you hide someone from not viewing your status, then you will also not be able to see their “last seen” update.

Other WhatsApp Updates

Recently, the instant messaging app was in the headlines for the rollout of the Communities feature. This feature is aimed to take on its rivals such as Telegram and Signal that gained traction earlier this year after the new privacy policy of WhatsApp. The latest report suggests that the Communities feature will offer more power to the group admins. The Communities on WhatsApp is all set to enable group admins to create groups within the existing groups.

It works the same way as channels are segmented under the Discord community. The feature will let admins invite new users via the Community Invite Link and connect to each other. However, the report is yet to reveal how the Community chats will look like. Notably, the report notes that these chats will be secure with end-to-end encryption. Eventually, all the chats exchanged via the Community feature will be locked and none other than the sender and receiver will be able to view these messages, not even the WhatsApp.

As per the report, the chats under the Communities feature will witness a subtle design change as compared to regular WhatsApp group conversations. It is tipped that Community icons will appear squarish instead of being rounded. As of now, there is no word on when this feature will be rolled out officially to all users. Given that it is on cards, we can expect the same to be rolled out to users by the end of 2021 or early 2022.

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