WhatsApp has an end-to-end encryption to keep your messages completely safe from hackers, which has attracted heat from the UK home secretary Amber Rudd following the London terrorist attack on last Wednesday. Rudd even said that it is a "place for terrorists to hide," which is "completely unacceptable." As an end user, this feature helps users put their complete faith and trust that their private conversations are safe.
With more than a billion users on the platform, WhatsApp has ensured the best user experience by introducing new features. Of late, the company has been pushing several software updates packed with changes to amplify the overall experience on the app. WhatsApp added new emoji feature, Snapchat-esque short video status, two-factor authentication and re-launched text status by popular demand.
But that's not the end of it. More features are under the pipeline and one particular feature spotted by WABetaInfo has generated a lot of attention – and not in a good way. The soon-to-be-released WhatsApp feature, which is a part of a beta version of the app, could let your contacts watch your every move.
There's no hiding once the new feature hits the app as it can reveal, and even alert, your contacts when you change your number. So if you are planning to slyly stop using your existing number for a new one to avoid some people, the new feature could bust you.
NEW FEATURE:
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) March 24, 2017
As already mentioned in WP changelogs, WhatsApp is working on a feature to alert your contacts when you change your number.
If you think notifying contacts about changing your number is extreme, the new feature could notify your contacts whenever you update other areas of your profile. In a way, it could be a great tool to help users stay in touch with others. In fact, the challenge of notifying all your contacts of your new number is extremely tiring and WhatsApp could do the heavy lifting. But it doesn't come quite handy when you are changing your number to avoid somebody.
Considering WhatsApp's history, whenever there is a privacy-risking feature, there's always an option for users to disable it. We are hoping a similar setting will be introduced along with the new feature to let users take the final call.
