WhatsApp plots new feature that could EXPOSE you in group chats
WHATSAPP is working on a new feature that could leave some users red-faced.
In a future update, the U.S. messaging app will show a list of everyone who has left a group chat.
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It means anyone in the group can see all of the “past participants”, making it harder than ever to slip out of a WhatsApp group quietly.
The feature will also mean there’s a record of your participation in a group – even if you’d rather not be associated with it any longer.
The feature isn’t live yet, but was spotted in development on the WhatsApp beta by the sleuths at WABetaInfo.
It’s a popular gadget blog that regularly mines the beta “test app” to find upcoming changes.
The website first reported on the feature-in-development earlier this year and provided a fresh update on Sunday.
The feature is now in development for both WhatsApp for Android and iOS, WABetaInfo said.
Group members will be able to view who has left the group within the past 60 days.
“Past participants will be removed from this list after 60 days,” WABetaInfo said.
Images of the “past participants” feature in the WhatsApp for Android beta emerged in May.
“Thanks to this new option, it will be easier to keep track of who left a group,” said WABetaInfo at the time.
“Unfortunately, it seems that this list will be visible to everyone in the group, not only to group admins.”
However, it’s possible that this design could change by the time the feature is released to the world.
With the current design, the list will appear beneath the roster of current chat participants.
WhatsApp hasn’t revealed any specific plans to launch this feature.
And we don’t know exactly when it’s likely to land – it could be days, weeks, or months away, and may never even appear.
It’s interesting timing given that a new WhatsApp feature for “silently” exiting group chats was revealed yesterday.
It’s often awkward when you abandon a group chat because everyone is notified in the conversation.
But WABetaInfo uncovered a feature that lets you exit the group chat without notifying everyone – only the admins.
It’s possible that this new past participants feature could work in a similar way.
If you want to try new WhatsApp features first, consider joining the WhatsApp beta using our guide below.
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How to get WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.
Follow Apple’s guide here.
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