You Can’t Run, But You Can Hide from WhatsApp Last Seen
WhatsApp has been making the news from privacy concerns to updates. You’ve heard the saying, “all publicity is good publicity.” That’s exactly what’s happening with WhatsApp recently.
Perhaps the most interesting change has been the update where you can remove the WhatsApp last seen option. Picture the scenario below:
You see the double tick sign, you see the person is online, and then they are last seen at such and such a time but still no reply! Sometimes it’s urgent, sometimes it’s just that you are itching to chat with somebody. Nonetheless, that dreaded last seen notification alerts you when that person was online last. Your other contacts can also see your last seen incidence.
If you decide that this is all too annoying or stressful, you can simply turn off the WhatsApp last seen notification. Android users can go to the settings tab, select Account, and choose the Privacy. Under Privacy you will get the list of options of who can see your personal information which includes “Last Seen”, Profile Photo and Status. Selecting any of these will give you options for Everyone, My Contacts and Nobody. Settings can then be adjusted to suit your preferences. These updates on the privacy settings are active on the latest version of the WhatsApp (Version 2.11.184).
Despite all these welcome changes, there is a catch. WhatsApp is not as sneaky as one would think. Honestly, it’s disappointing!
When you change the “last seen” option to Nobody, it’s as good as choosing the None option if it existed. In other words, f you choose the “last seen” option to Nobody then it means that you will also not be able to see your contacts’ last seen as well. They don’t see you and you don’t see them. I guess that’s the sacrifice you need to make for privacy.
How ideal would it be to select the Nobody option for the “last seen” option but still be able to see your other contacts? Is it clever or just plain creepy?
For a different perspective, check out this article from TechZim.
