WhatsApp is reportedly introducing a new privacy feature for community members. It was earlier said that a new feature is being tested, which will allow users to hide their phone number while joining a community. The feature, called “Phone Number Privacy”, is reportedly available to all Android and iOS beta testers. With this, users can participate in conversations and react to messages while hiding their name and phone number from other members of the community. The Meta-owned instant messaging app has not officially revealed when it plans to make the phone number privacy feature live for all users. According to a report by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetainfo, WhatsApp has rolled out the feature for all Android and iOS betas. A phone number privacy feature has been released to the community for testers. It is being said that it is available for all Android and iOS beta testers on WhatsApp beta version 2.23.14.19 on Android and beta version 23.14.0.70 for iOS respectively. With the help of this feature, while joining a community, the user’s phone The number can be hidden from all other members. Currently, the list of community members in ‘Community Announcement Group Info’ is already hidden, but if a user joins the conversation via Reaction, their phone number is visible. The new phone number privacy feature will ensure that a user’s contact number is not visible to other members of the community, even when adding a reaction to a message. The report also includes a screenshot showing the phone number privacy feature for the community, allowing users to Find out what it might look like when it launches widely. This can be accessed from ‘Community Announcement Group Info’. When turning on this feature, WhatsApp alerts users that their number will be hidden from other participants except community admins and members who have already saved their contact numbers. This new privacy feature is only applicable for community members, as the community admin’s phone number is always visible. Users will also have the option to share it with specific community members as per their preference later. However, WhatsApp has not yet officially announced the rollout of the phone number privacy feature. This may change before final release. If you want to try out the new security features, you can download the latest build of WhatsApp from Google Play, Apple Store, and TestFlight app.
