WhatsApp has become one of the most important communication apps for millions of people, with everything from personal conversations and family photos to documents and work-related messages being shared through the platform. But while users often focus on messages and calls, many overlook the privacy settings that determine who can see information about their WhatsApp activity.

A few simple changes can give users considerably more control over their privacy without affecting the way they normally use the app.

Stop Everyone From Seeing When You Are Online

One of WhatsApp's useful privacy features allows users to control who can see when they are online. If you don't want other people constantly checking your activity status, you can change the relevant setting under WhatsApp's Privacy section.

Users can generally choose who can see their last seen information and who can see when they are online. This is particularly useful for people who want to use WhatsApp without feeling pressured to immediately respond whenever they appear online.

Hide Your Profile Photo From Unknown People

Your WhatsApp profile picture may seem harmless, but it can be visible to people you don't know depending on your privacy settings.

WhatsApp allows users to control who can view their profile photo. Choosing a more restrictive option can prevent strangers or unwanted contacts from easily accessing your profile image.

The same principle can be applied to other profile information available through WhatsApp.

Check Who Can Add You to Groups

Being added to random WhatsApp groups can be annoying and, in some cases, potentially risky. Spam groups may contain unwanted promotional messages, suspicious links or misleading information.

WhatsApp provides privacy controls that allow users to limit who can add them directly to groups. If someone cannot add you because of your settings, they may instead need to send you an invitation.

This gives you an opportunity to decide whether you actually want to join.

Turn On Two-Step Verification

Two-step verification adds an additional layer of security to your WhatsApp account. After enabling it, you create a PIN that WhatsApp can ask for periodically and when certain account-registration situations occur.

This is different from the one-time registration code sent to your phone number. Users should never share either their verification code or two-step verification PIN with another person.

Be Careful With WhatsApp Linked Devices

WhatsApp can be connected to computers and other devices through its Linked Devices feature. This is convenient, but users should occasionally check the list of connected devices.

If you see a computer or device that you no longer use or don't recognise, log it out immediately. This simple check can help prevent someone else from accessing your WhatsApp conversations through a previously linked device.

Silence Unknown Callers

WhatsApp also provides a feature designed to reduce interruptions from unknown callers. When enabled, calls from unknown numbers can be silenced while still appearing in the call list.

This can be useful for people who frequently receive spam or unwanted calls through WhatsApp.

Don't Click Suspicious Links

Privacy settings cannot protect you from every online scam. A message can still contain a malicious or fraudulent link even when your WhatsApp account is properly secured.

Be particularly cautious when someone sends a message claiming that you have won a prize, received a parcel, need to verify your bank account or must urgently click a link to avoid losing access to a service.

Never share your OTP, UPI PIN, banking password or WhatsApp verification code with anyone.

Take Five Minutes to Review WhatsApp Privacy

Most people set up WhatsApp once and then never revisit its privacy settings. But spending a few minutes reviewing online status, profile-photo visibility, group permissions, two-step verification and linked devices can make the account significantly more secure.

The best part is that these changes don't require any special technical knowledge. They simply give you more control over who can access information connected to your WhatsApp account.