WhatsApp’s new update makes it easier to avoid your friends

Image: WhatsApp

You will be able to hide your last seen status from specific contacts and leave a group without notifying others.

Users' online status was hidden from strangers by default. This was a step in the right direction but still allows your entire list of contacts to see whether or not you are online. The upcoming update will allow you to decide which contacts can see your status. If you don't want someone to know that you're ignoring their message, make sure to set the setting for that user.

You will be able to silently leave a group with the new feature. The app notifies every user in the group of your departure, which could prompt some group members to ask why you left. The Irish Goodbye is the act of leaving a party without telling anyone and should help eliminate awkwardness.

These two features will be rolled out this month, as well as a way to block users from taking a screen shot of a message. Unlike disappearing messages, which disappear after a certain time limit, view messages disappear after the recipient has seen them once. Adding a way to block scats would help prevent users from sharing sensitive information. The feature is still being tested, but it will be rolled out soon.

Several other small updates have been made by the messaging service. The platform also introduced a way to speed up voice messages and began allowing users to transfer their chat history to their phone.