WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.5.1: what's new?
WhatsApp has released a new Android update through the Google Play Beta Program, bringing the version up to 2.26.5.1.
What's new in this update? WhatsApp is working on aligning with law in Brazil by updating privacy settings for younger users, and it will be available in a future update!
| Key Points | Details |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature: | WhatsApp Privacy Update in Brazil |
| Status: | Under development |
| Availability info: | This feature is currently in development and not yet available for beta testing. In the meantime, you can read this article for a sneak peek. |
| Previous news: | WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.4.10.73: what's new? WhatsApp is working on a feature that allows channel admins to create a profile! |
WhatsApp is working on updating privacy settings in Brazil
In the post about the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.3.6, we announced a feature that lets parents configure a secondary account with limited functionality. This feature is currently under development and it will allow parents to create secondary accounts and assign them to their children. The secondary account prevents messaging and calling interactions between minors and accounts not in their contacts. The secondary account will also offer parents insights into their activity, although messages will never included in the report.
This feature is still under development to ensure a bug-free experience before its official release in the future. Meanwhile, WhatsApp continues to comply with new regulations on minor safety by regularly updating the application. Following the release of the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.5.1 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on aligning with law in Brazil by updating privacy settings for younger users.
As you can see from the attached screenshot, WhatsApp is exploring the implementation of a feature that automatically updates privacy settings in Brazil, scheduled for release in a future update. This change will align WhatsApp with Brazil's new digital protection laws for children and adolescents, which require stricter controls for underage users. Under Brazil's new digital protection law for children and adolescents, the visibility of some privacy settings for young users will be limited. With these changes, WhatsApp will ensure compliance with the law while protecting minors from harmful interactions.
Last Seen will be the first privacy setting to be updated in Brazil. If a user's Last Seen is set to Everyone, WhatsApp will automatically change it to My Contacts. This ensures that accounts not in a child's address book will no longer be able to see their Last Seen, even if they have previously interacted in chats. Users affected in Brazil will receive a direct notification when this setting is updated.
About will be the second privacy setting to be updated in Brazil. When the visibility for About is changed from Everyone to My Contacts, unknown accounts will no longer be able to view the account information of minors who aren't in their contacts. Young users might often share personal information, such as their availability or location, without knowing that if their visibility is set to Everyone, anyone can access it. With this change, WhatsApp aims to make the information shared in About significantly more private.
Finally, WhatsApp plans to make links that young users share on their profiles even more private in Brazil. Last year, WhatsApp released a feature that allows users to share links to their Facebook and Instagram profiles. If the privacy setting for profile links is set to "Everyone", unknown accounts could reach minors on their social media accounts. For this reason, WhatsApp will automatically update this privacy setting, ensuring that only contacts approved by the minor can access their profile links.
The feature that lets WhatsApp align with law in Brazil by updating privacy settings for younger users is currently under development, and it is planned for release in a future update. WhatsApp is actively working to allow the app to automatically adjust privacy settings in Brazil. Once the law takes effect, WhatsApp will be ready to update these three privacy settings for affected users.
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