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WhatsApp: Separate private and professional contacts
Photo: Heiko Kueverling / Zoonar / IMAGO
Previously, WhatsApp users had three options to choose from as to who could see their status, their "last seen" timestamp, and their profile picture and info.
Now a fourth is being added: In addition to "Everyone", "My Contacts" and "Nobody", "My Contacts except ..." will be introduced, WhatsApp announced on Twitter.
The new option means: All people in the address book can see the profile information, but individuals can be excluded from it.
It is therefore a
block list
, for example to separate private from professional contacts a little.
The more cautious method, but not offered by WhatsApp, would have been a so-called allowlist: By default, your own information would be withheld from all contacts, but it could then be actively released for individual contacts.
Like the others, the new option can be selected in the WhatsApp settings under »Privacy«.
Also new are three functions for group voice calls in WhatsApp: the
targeted muting
of others can be useful, for example, if one or more participants hear background noise during the call.
A new messaging feature allows you to message
others in the group directly
without missing any of the conversation.
If a new participant joins the group voice call but is not visible on your own screen due to the group size and limited display area, you will receive a banner notification that says
»XY has joined the call«
.
In addition, when switching from an Android smartphone to an iPhone, the entire
WhatsApp chat history can be transferred directly
if this happens during the initial setup of the iPhone.
Previously, users always had to resort to additional programs from other providers.
Now WhatsApp transfer is part of Android app Transfer to iOS.
Read more about this here.
pbe/dpa