WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the features that makes WhatsApp so appealing is the ability to share photos, videos, and stories that disappear after 24 hours. This allows users to share moments from their lives without cluttering up their friends’ chats forever.
However, some WhatsApp users want more control over who can view their stories. The default setting allows anyone in your contacts to see your story updates. While this makes sharing easy and fun, it also means your stories are exposed to your entire address book, which may include old classmates, distant relatives, or professional contacts you don’t necessarily want viewing your casual story posts.
So can you choose who can see your WhatsApp story? The short answer is yes, to an extent. WhatsApp does provide some tools to manage your story audience and limit visibility, though they do have limitations. We’ll explain the options available for adjusting your WhatsApp story privacy below.
Who Can View Your WhatsApp Stories By Default?
When you first start using WhatsApp stories, the default visibility is set to “My Contacts.” This means anyone in your phone’s address book who also has you in their contacts will be able to see your story updates.
Essentially, this sharing is reciprocal – if you have someone’s phone number saved in your contacts and they have your number saved as well, you can both view each other’s stories without any additional approvals needed.
This default visibility makes it quick and easy to share casual moments without needing to approve followers. However, many users want to tweak these defaults for more privacy.
Adjusting Your WhatsApp Story Settings
WhatsApp does provide some options to change who can see your stories under the app settings:
My Contacts Except…
Rather than sharing your stories with all contacts, you can exclude specific contacts. To do this:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the Three Dots menu in the top right.
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Tap “Status” and select “My Contacts Except…”
- Choose which contacts to exclude from story updates.
This will prevent the selected contacts from viewing your stories, while still allowing all other contacts to see updates as normal.
Only Share With…
For more control, you can create a custom list of contacts to share your story with:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy.
- Tap “Status” and select “Only share with…”
- Check the boxes next to each contact you want to be able to view your stories.
This will limit story visibility only to those selected. All other contacts won’t be able to see your story activity.
Limitations of WhatsApp Story Settings
While the custom settings above do provide some options for increased privacy, there are limitations:
– Contacts must have your phone number saved in order to view your stories. You cannot share stories with WhatsApp friends who don’t have your number.
– There is no way to create groups or lists outside your contacts to share stories with. Groups are limited to message conversations only.
– If you choose “Only share with…” you have to manually select each contact. There is no way to share stories with an existing contact group.
– If you exclude contacts, they can still see replies you post to mutual friends’ stories. There is no way to control visibility of story replies.
– Restrictions only apply to your profile story ring. You cannot limit visibility for individual story posts.
Using WhatsApp’s Reporting Tools
In addition to adjusting your settings, WhatsApp does allow users to report stories that violate their terms, such as:
– Nudity or sexual content
– Hate speech or symbols
– Violent or graphic content
– Misleading or false information
To report a story:
- Open the story and swipe up to open the details page.
- Tap the More Options icon (three dots).
- Select “Report.”
- Follow the prompts to send a report to WhatsApp.
WhatsApp will review the story and take appropriate action according to their policies, including removing the story, suspending the account, or banning the user.
Reporting is an important tool if another user posts inappropriate content. However, it is reactive only and does not prevent contact stories from appearing in your story feed.
Using Third-Party Apps for More Privacy Control
Due to the limitations of WhatsApp’s built-in settings, some users utilize third-party apps to gain more control over story privacy:
WA Tweaker
This app allows you to password protect your stories. Only contacts who have the password can view your story updates. This essentially allows you to create custom friend lists beyond just your contact list.
Social Limits
Social Limits lets you set daily time limits for WhatsApp use. While not directly related to stories, limiting app access can improve overall privacy.
Authy
Using two-factor authentication through Authy adds an extra layer of security to your WhatsApp account, requiring approval on a second device to login. This prevents unauthorized access.
Conclusion
While WhatsApp does provide some basic options to customize your story audience, the settings are limited. If you want more advanced privacy controls, third-party apps can help give you options like password protection, access limits, and login security.
However, these apps also represent trade-offs in terms of convenience and ease of sharing. There are also risks anytime you grant additional app permissions to access your WhatsApp account.
Overall there is no perfect solution that provides both total story privacy and flexible sharing. It is up to each user to weigh their priorities and customize their settings accordingly. But WhatsApp does make the ability to choose your story audience possible, at least to a certain degree.