WhatsApp’s latest measure to improve your privacy entails hiding your last seen status from unknown numbers by default. So, nobody will know your “last seen” status unless you add them to your list of contacts.

Despite being a subsidiary of Facebook (now Meta), WhatsApp claims to be a secure instant messaging platform. It was one of the first to offer end-to-end encryption for voice, video, and text-based chats for free, alongside several other privacy features.

Now, if you’re running the latest version of WhatsApp on iOS or Android, your “last seen” status will be hidden from unknown numbers by default. It is only when you save the sender’s phone number that they will be able to see your “last seen” status unless you have turned the feature off for all your contacts as well.

WABetaInfo reports that the messaging service told one user, “this (the new feature) will not change anything between you and your friends, family, and businesses who you know or have previously messaged.”

The new default setting makes your activity harder to track and gives you more control over those brief interactions on WhatsApp. You’ll be surprised at the number of third-party apps designed to stalk WhatsApp users by monitoring their last seen status to know when they were active. Unknown numbers will be completely cut off from your information unless you add them to your contacts.

Our Take

Personally, I keep my WhatsApp “last seen” status turned off for all my contacts. Now, knowing that even strangers won’t be able to see it gives me peace of mind.

Do you feel more at ease with the new provision? Let us know in the comments section below.