After adding an event planner to Communities, the latest WhatsApp beta update for Android shows a new feature is in the works that allows users to hide community chats. The latest hide community chat feature was spotted in the WhatsApp Android beta v2.24.10.13 update.
According to the latest report, the hide community chat feature will allow users better privacy and control over group chats. The screenshot shared by WABetaInfo shows Meta"s WhatsApp exploring a new option to mark community group chats as hidden. For that, WhatsApp is adding a dedicated icon next to the group name.
Looking at this dedicated icon, community group members can easily understand if the group is hidden, letting them keep certain chats hidden while still going back to them later. WhatsApp will also show which community the hidden group chat belongs to for easier identification.
The dedicated icon would offer a great way to distinguish hidden group chats from visible ones. Moreover, it also adds a layer of privacy and offers a controlled environment, allowing a user to engage in a conversation in a community without revealing their participation to others in the community because other members won"t be able to view which groups are hidden until they have a group invite link.
The benefits of WhatsApp"s new hide community group chats feature is that it will allow for a clutter-free community, especially large communities, where a discussion can deviate into relevant sub-groups based on a particular topic. Besides, community moderators will be able to keep "sensitive or exclusive groups away from the general view."
The WhatsApp feature to hide community chat is currently in development and it isn"t available to all users. The feature may be available in a future stable version of the app. Recently, WhatsApp beta for Android received a revamped Status updates tray user interface.