WhatsApp, the most widely used instant messaging service from Meta, with more than 3.5 billion users worldwide, is working towards launching one of its strongest privacy features yet. The upcoming update will enable users to send photos and videos without letting the receiver save them automatically, adding a new layer of control and security for senders.
New privacy feature on the way
WhatsApp regularly rolls out updates that improve chat, voice and video calling experiences. But this time, the focus is on user safety and data protection for the media which are shared on the platform. The company is testing a new privacy feature that will let users stop media from being saved on the recipient's device.
With this update, users can send photos or videos that the recipient can view, but they won’t be able to save them to their phone’s gallery or file manager. This new tool gives the sender control over how their shared content is handled.
Major relief for privacy-conscious users
This feature is a game-changer for people who frequently share personal or sensitive photos and videos. Until now, any media received on WhatsApp was automatically saved in the phone’s storage. This caused concerns among users worried about the misuse of their data.
Now, WhatsApp is addressing that concern directly. With the new feature, users can choose whether or not the media they send should be saved on the recipient’s device. This could help prevent data leaks, misuse, or accidental sharing of private content.
The sender will control the auto-save option
The update gives full control to the sender. Before sending a photo or video, users will be able to decide if it should be auto-saved or not. This setting will be available in the form of an on/off toggle for auto-save, similar to the Disappearing Messages feature.
Interestingly, this privacy tool won’t be limited to just media files. WhatsApp may also extend it to regular text messages, enhancing privacy during chats.
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