WhatsApp adds screenshot blocking, message deletion, more in new update

Andrew Romero | Aug 9 2022 - 10:07 am PT

WhatsApp has been keen on improving privacy as of late. This week, the messaging service announced a new update that houses a few new changes in the WhatsApp app, including the ability to delete messages after sending, the option to block screenshots of images, and more.

WhatsApp has long been a messaging app used by many who want to keep private conversations private. The app uses end-to-end encryption to keep messages and data stored safely, only allowing you and the intended recipients see what’s been sent.

To add to that layer of security, WhatsApp announced it’s adding a few new features that should bolster privacy a little further. Perhaps the biggest and most exciting change is the addition of screenshot blocking for “View Once” messages. View Once messages are temporary messages with photos that make it impossible for the receiving party to view the image a second time.

Screenshot blocking in WhatsApp will literally blackout an attempted screenshot and display a message saying “Screenshot was blocked for added privacy.” This feature is a huge one for users since View Once messages have no purpose if others can just screenshot the photo and view it as much as they want.

Another additional feature besides screenshot blocking that WhatsApp is testing is the ability to choose who sees when you’re online. This new ability will allow you to choose who can see that you’re active so that you can log into the app privately without others knowing. This is something spotted not too long ago, and it allows users to choose between contacts, everyone, and nobody. You can also choose a blacklist of people from your contacts to hide your status from.

To add to that, users will also be able to leave groups silently. Instead of alerting everyone that you’ve left the chat, only the group admins will be able to see that you’ve left. This will make it a lot easier to cut ties to certain chats without risking too many questions from others.

Finally, WhatsApp took to Twitter to announce the last change, which has to do with deleting messages. Now, users will be able to delete a message for up to two days and 12 hours after hitting send (via WABetaInfo). Users were initially allowed to delete messages just for themselves, which left the message legible for the rest of the group or your recipient. Now, you have a limited time to delete those messages for everyone.

💭 Rethinking your message? Now you’ll have a little over 2 days to delete your messages from your chats after you hit send.
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) August 8, 2022

WhatsApp hasn’t made it clear when these features and privacy updates are rolling out, but it’s likely that some users will likely see the features hit their devices relatively soon. We’re genuinely excited about WhatsApp’s screenshot blocking on View Once messages and hope to see it hit devices sooner rather than later.