WhatsApp is reportedly beginning to test improved Last Seen controls

WhatsApp is reportedly testing advanced privacy controls on iOS and Android.

WABetaInfo reports that WhatsApp version 22.9.0.70, which began rolling out to iOS beta testers on April 16, includes new privacy settings that reached Android testers in March.

The report notes that a new setting “allows you to block some people from seeing your information on WhatsApp.” This includes things like profile photos, information shared via the About Profile section, and the Last Seen feature, which shows when a user was recently active.

WhatsApp previously offered users a binary choice of whether to share their profile photos, about sections, and last seen dates with all of their contacts or with none of them. These new settings give users finer control over what information they share and with whom.

WABetaInfo points out that hiding the last seen data from a contact prevents users from also seeing that person’s last seen data, presumably to prevent the feature from being abused. However, this does not appear to be the case for people who choose not to share profile photos or info information.

These granular controls were introduced with the release of WhatsApp for iOS version 22.9.0.70 on April 16th, but they don’t appear to have reached all beta testers at the time of writing.