what you need to know
- Currently, sending a hyperlink in WhatsApp will generate a link preview showing information about the shared website or page.
- WhatsApp is planning to offer a new option in settings that will allow users to disable link previews in messages.
- The privacy feature was spotted in the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android but is not yet ready for end users.
Most of us can probably remember a time when something popped up on our smartphone that we weren’t expecting. Whether it’s an embarrassing link sent by a friend or family member or something you stumbled across on social media, some things are better kept private. That’s why WhatsApp is set to introduce a new feature for Android users that will let them disable link previews in messages. This way, WhatsApp users don’t have to worry about link previews appearing unexpectedly.
WABetaInfo spotted the new options for WhatsApp and found the toggle switch in the app’s advanced settings menu.Specifically, this option only appears in the version 2.24.7.12 Use WhatsApp through the Google Play Beta program. This means you won’t find it on the publicly released version of the WhatsApp app for Android, and it might not even be visible to everyone running the beta version of the software.
This option is fairly self-explanatory. WhatsApp currently generates link previews for URLs sent in messages in the Android app. This makes the link appear larger and contain more information than a typical message. When all the information is available, WhatsApp will display the page title, excerpt, and thumbnail. Depending on the link, this may not be an issue. However, link previews in WhatsApp messages may reveal content that you may want to keep private for various reasons.
📝 WhatsApp beta 2.24.7.12 for Android: What’s new? WhatsApp is working on a new privacy feature to disable link previews and will make it available in a future update! https://t.co/nFi2dfDc18 pic.twitter.com/MMAA95LG0March 22, 2024
Link preview is not optional in the public version of the app.But in the latest WhatsApp beta version, there is a feature called Disable link preview inside advanced WhatsApp settings section. By default, link previews are still generated in WhatsApp messages. However, an upcoming feature will give privacy-conscious users the option to turn them off when they see fit.
As of now, the feature of disabling link previews has not been rolled out publicly, but it is likely to come in a subsequent WhatsApp update. However, we don’t know when the toggle feature will be publicly rolled out.