WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messaging app, is reportedly working on a new status update feature for Android beta. This allows users to report any unwanted status update on their Android phones that violates the company’s terms of service. The Meta-owned news service is also testing this feature for a future update of its desktop app. The new feature does not break end-to-end encryption for status updates. The app currently has the ability to report suspicious messages or spam messages to the company.
according to a report from WABetaInfo, Whatsapp is working on a new feature for a future Android beta that will allow users to report a suspicious or malicious status update that appears to violate theirs Terms of Use. The report states that the reported status updates will be forwarded to the company for moderation. There will be a new “Report” option for status updates in the status area. Users can simply click on it to flag an unwanted status update.
Notably, the reported status update will remain end-to-end encrypted, similar to messages, voice calls, media and location shares, the report said. Content protected by E2EE cannot be accessed by third parties or even WhatsApp or Meta. The status update reporting feature for WhatsApp Android Beta is currently under development and there is no confirmation of an official launch.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp is also testing the same feature for its desktop beta app. Last month was the app allegedly is working on a new feature that would allow users to report suspicious status updates on PCs or laptops via the desktop app. After the report, the status update is forwarded to WhatsApp for moderation reasons, similar to the reported messages. The content of reported status updates on the desktop is also encrypted end-to-end and is therefore not accessible to third parties.
The feature to report status updates for the desktop beta is also in development and is speculated to be released in a future update. The app is expected to roll out the same feature to WhatsApp Beta for iOS in the future.
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