WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Hide Link Previews in Messages

Many of us have experienced that moment of surprise when something unexpected pops up on our smartphones. Whether it’s a link shared by a friend or an accidental stumble on social media, some things are best kept private. Recognizing this, WhatsApp is gearing up to introduce a new feature for Android users that will allow them to hide link previews in messages, ensuring that users won’t have to worry about a link preview unexpectedly showing up.

WABetaInfo found the toggle in the app’s advanced settings menu. This option is available in version 2.24.7.12 of WhatsApp through the Google Play Beta Program. Consequently, it won’t be available in the public release of the WhatsApp for Android app, and it may not even be visible to all users running the beta software.

WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Hide Link Previews in Messages

The purpose of this feature is quite straightforward. Currently, WhatsApp generates a preview for URLs sent in messages in its Android app. This preview makes links appear larger than typical messages and includes additional information such as the webpage title, excerpt, and thumbnail image. While this may not be an issue for many links, link previews in WhatsApp messages could inadvertently reveal information that users would prefer to keep private for various reasons.

In the public version of the app, link previews are not optional. However, in the latest WhatsApp beta, there’s a toggle called “Disable link previews” in the Advanced section of WhatsApp settings. By default, WhatsApp generates link previews in messages, but the upcoming feature will give privacy-conscious users the option to turn them off as desired.

As of now, WhatsApp has not rolled out the ability to disable link previews to the public, but it is likely to appear in a future WhatsApp update. The timing of this public rollout, however, remains uncertain.