5 minutes in WhatsApp's settings closed privacy holes I didn't know I had

With over three billion monthly users worldwide, WhatsApp has become an integral part of most of our lives. My WhatsApp usage is a mix of personal and business needs. I used it extensively in college to share lecture slides and the like. The point is, my phone number had circulated more widely than I'd have liked, which made me worry about my privacy.

WhatsApp is generally a secure messaging app thanks to end-to-end encrypted messages, but with over one-third of the world using the platform, I am quite worried about my social privacy. Fortunately, just five minutes within the settings will fix any holes there might be.

My calls and links were quietly leaking my IP address

An unknown with a network analysis tool could potentially track down my location

Calls over the internet via WhatsApp are directly connected on both ends, a peer-to-peer connection. As such, your IP address has a risk of being exposed to the person on the other end. To be clear, the IP address isn't directly apparent in the call, but it can be determined through a network analysis tool.

An exposed IP connection can be used to track down your approximate location, as well as be used for DDoS attacks, where a hacker floods your connection with traffic until you can't access any service and throws you offline.

Fortunately, this can be prevented, and WhatsApp itself offers a feature that masks your IP address. Instead of a peer-to-peer connection, you can opt for your calls to be routed through WhatsApp's own servers. To turn on the feature, head to Settings -> Privacy -> Advanced, then click the option Protect IP address in calls.

Protecting the IP address in calls reroutes your audio to WhatsApp's servers, which can result in reduced audio quality and higher data usage, since it is less efficient than a peer-to-peer connection.

Shared links can potentially leave your IP address exposed

Usually, when links are sent over the internet, a preview of the website appears, showing the metadata and other information. This is meant to make it easy to see what the link actually contains without ever opening it. Generating the preview means your device must request data from the site behind the link, exposing your IP.

WhatsApp can disable link previews, so the next time you receive or send a link, a preview won't be generated — it will just show as a plain URL, helping prevent your IP address from being leaked. However, the link becomes less informative when there is no metadata to preview.

To do so, head to Settings -> Privacy -> Advanced, then Disable link previews.

My profile picture used to be an open door for everyone

Anyone with my number could see my profile picture, even if I didn't know them

I am one of those people who prefer anonymity to anything else. My privacy matters to me more than anything, and I don't want to risk identity theft and harassment in this digital era where private data has become easily accessible. Hence, I want only my friends and contacts to see my profile picture — nobody else.

By default, your profile picture will appear to anyone on WhatsApp who has your phone number, even if they're not in your contacts. As an additional layer of security and privacy, WhatsApp allows you to limit who can view your profile picture. This can be set to contacts only, and even then, you can omit specific people from whom you want to hide your profile picture.

You can choose who can see your profile picture under Settings -> Privacy -> Profile Photo — whether it's for all of your contacts, particular contacts only, or everyone.

On top of that, WhatsApp has another feature that prevents other people from taking a screenshot of your profile picture, so you won't have to worry about your photo circulating in strangers' galleries.

My phone number wasn't supposed to be this exposed

Years of random group chats meant that strangers had access to my phone number

WhatsApp was designed as a replacement for conventional messaging and SMS apps, which is why the platform requires a phone number to register, not an email. If you've used WhatsApp for school or work, your number has likely ended up in a community or group with people you barely know.

Now, this often creates an entry point for people to access your number, whether to invite you to a new group or add you to a seller's catalog list.

This is still a relatively new WhatsApp feature, but now under Settings -> Profile, there's a new option to create a username that appears to people you haven't saved as a contact, helping protect your phone number. Keep in mind that this doesn't disable the phone number entirely; it will still show up in your contacts — just not to strangers.

Currently, the username feature isn't universally available and is being gradually rolled out.

Turning off Last Seen and Online gave me a sense of relief

I stopped owing everyone a quick reply

When I split my time between work, friends, and family, everything can feel overwhelming at times — I don't want to be pressured to give quick responses all the time. This one WhatsApp setting lets you disable your last seen or online status, making it my favorite WhatsApp feature. Under Settings -> Privacy, you can change your last seen and online activity to contacts/everyone, and can separately toggle whether your online status shows at all.

I can now engage with the app on my own terms, prevent someone from stalking me, and set boundaries around my privacy. However, disabling last seen and online activity goes both ways — if you disable it on your end, you cannot see when other contacts were online or last seen either.

Strict Account Settings is the final resort

One toggle and WhatsApp turns into a maximum security lockdown

For those extra cautious about their privacy and security, especially high-profile individuals, there's Strict Account Settings, a new feature that provides maximum protection against cyberattacks. Strict Account Settings will lock your account to the most secure, feature-limited settings that block media and attachments from people not in your contacts, disable link previews, silence calls from strangers, and disable last seen and online activity, thereby reducing risks of becoming a target of exploitation.

To enable, head to Settings -> Privacy -> Advanced, then turn on Strict Account Settings. Keep in mind that this mode isn't for everyone — mostly for public figures susceptible to breaches, and you will be feature-limited when turning on this mode.

Extra security comes at a price

WhatsApp has been actively rolling out new features and security measures, which I really appreciate, since privacy has become an increasing concern for me on the platform. These changes take mere minutes of your time, but do keep in mind that each one has its drawbacks, as mentioned above. Nevertheless, they're a must to keep security in place if you spend time on the app religiously, as I do.