This class expanded on WhatsApp basics, focusing on voice and video calls and privacy settings to ensure a secure and personalized experience.

To enhance WhatsApp privacy, consider turning off features like last seen, online status, and read receipts, and restricting who can see your profile photo and status. Additionally, enabling two-step verification and disabling chat backups can further strengthen privacy.

1. Last Seen & Online Status:

Why turn it off:
By default, WhatsApp shares your last seen time and online status with everyone. This can be useful for keeping in touch with people, but it also means anyone can see when you're last active, even if you're not currently online.
How to turn it off:
Go to Settings > Privacy > Last Seen & Online, and select "Nobody" for who can see your last seen and online status.
Benefit:
Turning it off prevents people from knowing when you're not actively using WhatsApp, which can help with reducing unwanted attention.

2. Read Receipts:

Why turn it off: Read receipts, the blue ticks next to messages, indicate to the sender when their message has been read.
How to turn it off: Go to Settings > Privacy, and toggle off the switch next to Read receipts.
Benefit: Disabling read receipts prevents others from knowing when you've seen their messages, potentially giving you more control over your online activity.

3. Profile Photo & Status:

Why limit visibility:
You can control who can see your profile photo and status (the text you share with your contacts).
How to adjust:
Go to Settings > Privacy > Profile Photo and Status, and choose "My Contacts" or "Nobody".
Benefit:
Limiting access to your profile photo and status can reduce the amount of personal information you share.

4. Chat Backups:

Why disable: WhatsApp offers cloud backups, which can store your chat history.
How to disable: On an iPhone, go to WhatsApp > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Auto Backup and set it to "Off." On an Android phone, go to WhatsApp > Menu > Settings > Chats > Chat Backup > Back up to Google Drive > Never.
Benefit: Disabling chat backups can enhance privacy, especially if you have sensitive information in your chats.

5. Two-Step Verification:

Why enable: Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security to your account.
How to enable: Go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification and set up a PIN.
Benefit: This helps prevent unauthorized access to your account.

Additional Tips:

Consider Advanced Chat Privacy:
WhatsApp offers "Advanced Chat Privacy" for individual chats, allowing you to control who can export chats, download media, and use messages for AI features.
Use Fingerprint Lock:
You can use your phone's fingerprint scanner to lock WhatsApp, preventing unauthorized access.
Be Aware of Link Previews:
Be mindful of link previews, as they can reveal information about the website being visited.

Resources (from Helen-AI):