WhatsApp will reportedly get anonymous messaging

WhatsApp continues to innovate around privacy. The messaging app is working on a simple but important feature for communities. The feature, which is being tested in the WhatsApp beta for Android and iOS, will allow users to send anonymous messages.

Anonymous messaging coming to WhatsApp communities

It turns out that WhatsApp is testing a new privacy feature for community members that will allow them to hide their phone numbers from other members. The tool, called “phone number privacy”, has been rolled out to some users for Android and iOS.

The new feature aims to address privacy concerns in WhatsApp communities. Currently, when you join a community, your number is visible to other members. Your number is also exposed when you send a message.

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“Phone number privacy will make it possible to remain anonymous in crowded communities. This feature, which is in beta, can be enabled on a community by community basis. Note that even if you hide your number, it will still be visible to community administrators and people who register you.

It is not yet clear when the number hiding feature will be available to all WhatsApp users. However, the fact that it is available to beta testers suggests that it may be available in the near future.

Hiding phone numbers is just one of the privacy innovations WhatsApp is rolling out. In recent months, the company has introduced tools such as end-to-end encryption for all messages, hiding your last seen status and deleting messages for everyone.