WhatsApp May Soon Let You Hide Online Status From Certain Contacts, Delete for Everyone May Get an Extension

WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new time limit for the ‘Delete for Everyone' feature on Windows beta.

By Nithya P Nair | Updated: 2 July 2022 14:07 IST

Ability to hide online status is likely to be available for a future update of WhatsApp

Highlights

WhatsApp is reportedly working on multiple privacy features
It may extend ‘Delete for Everyone’ to 2 days and 12 hours
Revamped contextual menu is said to be available for beta testers

WhatsApp is found to be working on adding an option to let users hide their online status. This functionality would allow users to choose who can see when they are online on the instant messaging app. It is likely to be available in a future update. Separately, the Meta-owned company is reportedly updating the time limit to delete messages for some beta testers. The feature has been spotted in WhatsApp for Android beta 2.22.15.8, which is available via the Google Play Beta programme. WhatsApp is also said to be rolling out a fully functional context menu on Windows beta.

As per a report by WhatsApp features tracker WABetaInfo, the Meta-owned messaging service is developing the ability to hide the online status from select contacts. Once released, this feature will let users choose who can see when they are online right within WhatsApp Privacy Settings. The report includes a screenshot showing the new privacy setting feature. This option is said to be under development and likely to be available in a future update.

In related news, WhatsApp is reportedly updating the time limit to delete messages for everyone. The messaging platform is said to be rolling out the update via the Google Play Beta programme, with the 2.22.15.8 beta for Android. As per the report, WhatsApp is extending the time limit for the ‘Delete for Everyone' feature to two days and 12 hours from the existing one hour, eight minutes, and 16 seconds time options. The longer time frame would help users to delete wrongly sent messages.

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In addition to the ability to hide the online status and time limit extension, WABetaInfo has spotted releasing a redesigned context menu on Windows beta. This feature is available to users who have installed the latest WhatsApp beta app for Windows 2.2225.2.70 from the Microsoft Store. The report includes a screenshot showing the redesigned context menu, giving users an idea of the shortcuts offered. As seen in the screenshot, there is a paste, undo and select all the text options. The text can be formatted in bold or italic. The functionality is expected to undergo changes before the final release.

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Further reading: WhatsApp, WhatsApp Update, WhatsApp for Android, WhatsApp Features, Microsoft Store, Delete For Everyone, WhatsApp Privacy Features

Nithya P Nair

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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More