Privacy has become a top concern in today’s digital world, especially with the amount of personal information we share through apps like WhatsApp. With over 2 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms.
However, by default, some of your information—such as your last seen, profile picture, and status—might be visible to everyone, including people who aren’t in your contacts list. If you’re looking to make your WhatsApp account more private on Android, this guide will walk you through the steps.
Hide Your “Last Seen” Status
Your “Last Seen” status shows others the last time you were active on WhatsApp. While this can be useful for keeping in touch, you may not want everyone to know when you’re online or the last time you checked the app.
Steps to hide your “Last Seen” status:
- Open WhatsApp on your Android device.
- Tap on the three dots in the top-right corner to open the Menu, and select Settings.
- Go to Privacy > Last seen.
- Choose who can see your last seen status:
- Everyone: Anyone with your phone number can see your last seen.
- My contacts: Only people in your contact list can see it.
- Nobody: No one can see your last seen time.
Note: If you hide your last seen status, you won’t be able to see other people’s last seen statuses either.
Control Who Sees Your Profile Picture
Your profile picture might reveal more about you than you want to share with strangers or people you don’t know well. By changing the settings, you can control who can view your profile picture.
Steps to hide your profile picture:
- Go to Settings > Privacy.
- Tap on Profile photo.
- Select one of the following options:
- Everyone: Your profile picture is visible to all WhatsApp users.
- My contacts: Only people in your contacts can see your profile picture.
- Nobody: No one can see your profile picture.
Manage Who Can See Your Status
WhatsApp statuses are updates (photos, videos, text) that disappear after 24 hours. You may want to control who can view these temporary updates.
Steps to manage your status privacy:
- Open Settings > Privacy.
- Tap on Status.
- Choose from the following options:
- My contacts: All your contacts can see your status updates.
- My contacts except…: You can exclude certain contacts from viewing your status.
- Only share with…: You can choose specific contacts to view your status.
Turn Off Read Receipts
Read receipts (blue ticks) let people know when you’ve seen their messages. If you prefer to keep this information private, you can turn off read receipts.
Steps to turn off read receipts:
- In Settings, go to Privacy.
- Scroll down and toggle off Read receipts.
Note: When you turn off read receipts, you won’t be able to see if others have read your messages either. However, this doesn’t apply to group chats or voice messages.
Restrict Who Can Add You to Groups
Being added to random WhatsApp groups can be annoying, especially if you don’t want to share your phone number with everyone in the group. You can control who can add you to groups to prevent this.
Steps to restrict who can add you to groups:
- In Settings, go to Privacy.
- Tap on Groups.
- Select one of the following options:
- Everyone: Anyone can add you to a group.
- My contacts: Only people in your contact list can add you to groups.
- My contacts except…: You can exclude specific contacts from adding you to groups.
Block Unwanted Contacts
Blocking contacts is a more drastic privacy measure. If someone is bothering you or you simply don’t want them to contact you on WhatsApp, you can block them.
Steps to block a contact:
- Open the chat with the person you want to block.
- Tap on the three dots in the top-right corner, then tap More > Block.
- Confirm your decision.
Once blocked, the contact won’t be able to send you messages or see your profile updates, including your status and last seen.
Enable Two-Step Verification
Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your WhatsApp account. When enabled, you’ll need to enter a 6-digit PIN to verify your phone number when registering on a new device.
Steps to enable two-step verification:
- Go to Settings > Account.
- Tap on Two-step verification.
- Tap Enable and set up your 6-digit PIN.
- Optionally, you can add an email address in case you forget your PIN.
Lock WhatsApp with Fingerprint or Face Recognition
If you want to prevent others from accessing your WhatsApp chats directly on your phone, you can lock the app using your fingerprint or face recognition.
Steps to enable fingerprint or face unlock:
- In Settings, go to Privacy.
- Scroll down and tap Fingerprint lock (or Face unlock, depending on your device).
- Toggle on Unlock with fingerprint or Unlock with face.
- Set the time period after which WhatsApp should lock automatically (immediately, after 1 minute, or after 30 minutes).
Final Thoughts
Taking control of your privacy on WhatsApp is essential for maintaining your personal boundaries in today’s hyper-connected world. By following these steps, you can better manage who can see your information and protect yourself from unwanted interactions. Regularly reviewing and updating your privacy settings will help ensure your WhatsApp account stays secure and private on your Android device.
