WhatsApp allows you to share photo, video, and text updates as your status that will disappear after 24 hours. You can control who gets to view your WhatsApp status updates by customizing your privacy settings.
Who can view your WhatsApp status by default?
By default, your WhatsApp status updates are visible to:
- All your WhatsApp contacts
- All members of any WhatsApp groups you are in
This means anyone in your contacts list and anyone in any of your groups will be able to view your status updates. Your status is public by default when you first start using WhatsApp.
How to change who can see your WhatsApp status
You can change the default WhatsApp status visibility options to only share your status updates with certain contacts or groups. Here are the steps:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on the More options icon (3 vertical dots)
- Go to Settings > Account > Privacy
- Tap on Status
- You will see 3 options:
- My Contacts: Your status will only be visible to your contacts from your address book.
- My Contacts Except: Your status will be visible to all contacts except those you exclude.
- Only Share with: Your status will only be visible to contacts you specifically select.
- Tap on your preferred option
- If you select “My Contacts Except”, you can search for and select individual contacts to exclude.
- If you select “Only Share with”, you can search for and select individual contacts to include.
- Tap OK to confirm your visibility settings.
These steps allow you to customize exactly who can view your WhatsApp status updates for greater privacy and control.
Important points about WhatsApp status visibility
- If you exclude contacts from viewing your status, they will still be able to send you messages as normal.
- If you are in a group with someone, they can view your status even if they are excluded from your status privacy settings.
- Your edited visibility settings will apply to all future status updates until you change them again.
- You can change your status privacy settings as often as you want.
- If someone is blocked, they will not be able to view your status updates.
How to know who viewed your WhatsApp status
WhatsApp has a feature that shows you exactly who has viewed your status updates. To see who has viewed your status:
- Post a new status update.
- Tap on My Status > Viewed by.
- You will see a list of your contacts who have viewed your status.
This can help you verify that your updated privacy settings are working as expected.
Troubleshooting WhatsApp status settings
Here are some tips if you are having issues with controlling status visibility:
- Double check that you selected the correct options in your status privacy settings.
- Make sure you tap OK to confirm changes to visibility settings.
- For “My Contacts Except” or “Only Share with”, ensure you actually selected contacts to exclude/include. The lists start out empty.
- Check that the contacts you are excluding/including have an active WhatsApp account.
- If someone is in your groups, they will be able to view your status regardless of your settings.
- Keep in mind it can take some time for changes to update across WhatsApp’s servers.
- Log out of WhatsApp and log back in to force your app to refresh to the latest privacy settings.
- As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to completely reset your app and settings.
Using WhatsApp status responsibly
Although you can configure your status updates for more privacy, keep in mind that statuses are still broadcast publicly within your selected audience. Here are some tips for using WhatsApp status responsibly:
- Be thoughtful about the types of updates you share publicly. Avoid anything illegal, dangerous or hurtful.
- Don’t share personal details like addresses, IDs, or financial information.
- Consider turning off status sharing before going through sensitive life events where you desire more privacy.
- Delete embarrassing or unintended statuses quickly before many people have a chance to view them.
- Periodically review your status privacy settings and audience as your contacts change over time.
- Educate friends and family about status privacy settings if they are oversharing personal information.
While WhatsApp statuses are an easy way to share quick life updates, they are still public posts that require some thoughtful consideration like any social media platform.
Conclusion
You have granular control over who can view your WhatsApp status updates. By default, all your contacts and group members will see your status. You can restrict visibility by status privacy settings for “My Contacts Except”, “Only Share With” or “My Contacts”. Confirm settings change with OK and review the viewed-by list to verify it’s working. Use statuses responsibly within your selected audience, and adjust settings any time as your preferences change.