WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.2.9: what's new?

WhatsApp has released a new Android update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.26.2.9.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that shows the privacy settings applied to a status update, and it's available to some beta testers!

WhatsApp is rolling out a status privacy info feature

In the article about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.23.14 update, we announced that a feature to see privacy settings applied to status updates was under development. With this functionality, users would be able to view the privacy settings they selected when creating a status update. This feature would give users even more control over how their content is shared. Since users can update their privacy settings at any time, they may have forgotten which privacy settings were used for a particular status update. Having this information always at hand would help users understand whether a status update was shared with the right audience.

Now, it appears that WhatsApp is starting to test this feature with the public, as some beta testers have reported that the ability to view the audience associated with each status update is available. Following the release of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.2.9 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that shows the privacy settings applied to a status update.

As you can see in this screenshot, some beta testers can explore a new feature designed to check which audience a status update has been shared with. To determine if this feature is available for your account, you can simply view an update you shared within the last 24 hours and open the overflow menu directly from the viewers menu. If the feature is enabled, you will find the Audience option in the menu. This option allows users to open a section that summarizes the privacy settings used for that status update.

The first detail provided to the user is the audience used for the status update. For example, if the status update was shared with all contacts, users will see "My Contacts" here. If the status update was shared with a restricted audience, users will see "My Contacts Except" or "Only share with" in this section. In this case, it is also possible to see who has been removed from the sharing list or just the restricted list the status update was shared with. This information is especially useful when frequently changing privacy settings for status updates. Users may want to share a status update with a specific audience and another status update with a different audience. This feature now allows users to check their contact list even after sharing as an additional control.

The Audience section also indicates whether those who view the status update can reshare it with their contacts. Users always have control over whether their status updates can be reshared, but they may forget whether they've enabled or disabled this option for a particular status update. With this feature, users can now determine whether a status update can be reshared even after posting.

This new feature greatly helps users avoid deleting an update simply because they're unsure whether they've shared it with a different audience than they originally intended. When in doubt, many users delete the status update for everyone, recheck their privacy settings, and then reshare it. This new check allows them to double-check whether the status update was shared with the correct settings, and only then can they decide whether to delete it and reshare it, rather than deleting it regardless.

The feature that allows users to control the privacy settings applied for each status update is available to some beta testers who install the latest WhatsApp beta for Android updates from the Google Play Store. This feature is currently rolling out to some beta testers for testing purposes. Meanwhile, WhatsApp continues to monitor performance and whether the experience offered by this feature is bug-free. Once this investigation is successful, WhatsApp will release this feature to a wider audience, allowing more users to control the privacy settings applied for each status update.

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