WHATSAPP users are being urged to activate an important new setting.

It could help your account stay private – and you might not know it’s even an option.

WhatsApp users are being urged to activate an important new setting

1

WhatsApp users are being urged to activate an important new settingCredit: Alamy

WhatsApp allows you to see whether your contacts are online and when they were last seen.

While turning off read receipts is a commonly used privacy setting – many people may not realise they can go one step further.

With the push of a button, you can turn off your ‘last seen’ setting – and it’s easier than you may think.

Top TikTok tech star @tatechtips has flagged how to turn the feature on for his viewers – earning 128k likes on the app.

Fans are going wild for NEW iPhone photo trick – how to use it
Warning for MILLIONS of WhatsApp users to change settings today – don't wait

How to turn off the ‘last seen’ feature

So how to do you turn off WhatsApp’s last seen feature.

Open your app on mobile and then go into Settings > Account > Privacy.

Look for the ‘last seen’ option.

Most read in The Sun

Three choices then appear: everyone, my contacts and nobody.

If you press ‘nobody’, not a single person will know whether you’re on WhatsApp at any given time – and when you were last on it.

The Sun Online’s tech and science team earlier told you how to send WhatsApp disappearing messages.

These are texts that automatically self-destruct after a certain period of time.

Open your app on mobile and then go into Settings > Account > Privacy.

Look for Disappearing Messages and then set the toggle to the On position.

Then choose a time period for messages to disappear – 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days.

A message will appear in the chat confirming that Disappearing Messages has been turned on.

To enable it on an existing chat, you need to archive and then unarchive it first.

You can also enable Disappearing Messages on specific chats by tapping into the individual settings of a WhatsApp contact.

The system isn’t fool-proof, of course.

If someone screenshots or records your chat, there’s no way to remove that content from their phone using an official WhatsApp feature.

As always, the best way to keep embarrassing or regrettable content off the internet is to not post it in the first place.

I'm a curvy fashion fan and tried on a Zara haul - an XXL is so tiny
How to get free cash worth up to £400 to help with energy bills and meter top up

But if you’re particularly worried, using Disappearing Messages is a great system to use.

Remember: only texts sent after you activate Disappearing Messages will be deleted. It won’t go back in time and scrub old missives for you.

Best Phone and Gadget tips and hacks

Looking for tips and hacks for your phone? Want to find those secret features within social media apps? We have you covered…


We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]


This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

How to buy TikTok recharge coins?

THE video-sharing app that is TikTok launched back in September 2016. In…

Amazon offering 3 months of free Audible to Prime members

PRIME DAY is almost here and Amazon is getting ready by offering…

Fortnite players fighting over leaked ‘Warzone’ mode that scraps building

FORTNITE fans are split over a leaked ‘No Build’ LTM that will…

Why Bosses Are Inflexible About Flexible Work Arrangements

Ever feel like your boss just doesn’t understand you? That’s because they…