Skip to main content

WhatsApp for iOS will let users hide their online status from everyone

WhatsApp for iOS is working on yet another long-requested feature from its users – the ability to hide the Online status from everyone. This function will come in a future update, and it’s already in development. Here’s a preview of this feature and what to expect from it.

As spotted by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp will soon let you hide your online status from everyone. As of now, users can choose to display their “Last Seen” information to contacts, some people, or no one. For a future version of the app, WhatsApp will let users follow a similar approach to the online toggle.

The publication explains how this feature is going to work:

It will be possible to configure who can see when we are online right within our last seen settings thanks to two new options: “Everyone” and “Same as Last Seen”. For example, if you choose “My contacts” for “Last Seen” and “Same as Last Seen” for “online”, it means non-contacts won’t be able to see when you’re online.

This new privacy feature is being developed at the same time WhatsApp is also readying another important function, the ability to edit a message. It’s been quite a while since the app started letting users delete messages, but it never brought the ability to edit them – which is finally changing in a future update.

Site default logo image

The ability to edit and delete messages is also coming to yet another beloved messaging app: iMessage with iOS 16. Although it drove some controversy, being able to edit and delete a message can be very handy when you misspell a word or send the wrong information to a person in a chat.

Last but not least, WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp is finally readying a new version of reacting to messages. According to the publication, WhatsApp is already rolling out to public beta testers the ability to react to a message with any emoji, just like Instagram does on its Direct Messages feature.

Are you excited to try all of these WhatsApp functions? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications