WhatsApp has been working tirelessly to bring new features into the mix, and many of these updates are centered around one all important facet: privacy. With stiff competition from competitors like Discord and Telegram forcing the instant messaging app to adapt, it was only a matter of time before WhatsApp began ticking off as many boxes as possible. It turns out that an upcoming feature will allow users to set up alternate profiles that they can show to people that aren’t on their contact lists.
This isn’t the first time that WhatsApp has tried to facilitate communication between users and unknown message senders. In a recent beta test, the platform tried to make it easier for desktop users to message people that aren’t in your list of contacts by simply entering their number. This made it so that users could communicate with anyone they liked without having to compromise on their privacy by adding them to their contacts, since this would immediately reveal their profile picture as well as a wide range of other personal details.
The new alternate profiles feature seems to be in line with that aspiration. You can already turn off read receipts and prevent certain users from seeing your profile picture, last seen status as well as your current status. You can go into settings and select who can see these elements of your profile, and users will soon see a new option added to this list, namely alternate profiles.
Users can set these alternate profiles up to have a more public facing view. An alternate profile picture and status can be thrown in to keep your main information safe from those that you don’t know very well. The added privacy setting will be especially beneficial to those that want to have multiple channels of communication on their WhatsApp accounts.
Some users are forced to make business WhatsApp profiles just to maintain lines of communication with customers and clientele. With the new feature that is currently being beta testa, users will have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds, all with the addition of privacy.
One thing that bears mentioning is that this feature is still in the early testing phase, with hardly any beta testers gaining access to it. It remains to be seen when it will get a wider rollout, though WhatsApp will want to do that sooner rather than later.
Read next: Musk's Mission: The Real Reason Behind the X/Twitter Takeover
This isn’t the first time that WhatsApp has tried to facilitate communication between users and unknown message senders. In a recent beta test, the platform tried to make it easier for desktop users to message people that aren’t in your list of contacts by simply entering their number. This made it so that users could communicate with anyone they liked without having to compromise on their privacy by adding them to their contacts, since this would immediately reveal their profile picture as well as a wide range of other personal details.
The new alternate profiles feature seems to be in line with that aspiration. You can already turn off read receipts and prevent certain users from seeing your profile picture, last seen status as well as your current status. You can go into settings and select who can see these elements of your profile, and users will soon see a new option added to this list, namely alternate profiles.
Users can set these alternate profiles up to have a more public facing view. An alternate profile picture and status can be thrown in to keep your main information safe from those that you don’t know very well. The added privacy setting will be especially beneficial to those that want to have multiple channels of communication on their WhatsApp accounts.
Some users are forced to make business WhatsApp profiles just to maintain lines of communication with customers and clientele. With the new feature that is currently being beta testa, users will have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds, all with the addition of privacy.
One thing that bears mentioning is that this feature is still in the early testing phase, with hardly any beta testers gaining access to it. It remains to be seen when it will get a wider rollout, though WhatsApp will want to do that sooner rather than later.
Read next: Musk's Mission: The Real Reason Behind the X/Twitter Takeover
