Damien Wilde / Android Authority
TL;DR
- WhatsApp may soon allow users to log out of their accounts on their phones.
- It could introduce a new “Logout” option that temporarily disables WhatsApp without deleting user data or removing them from groups.
- Currently, WhatsApp only allows users to delete their account on their primary device.
Although you can log out of your WhatsApp account on linked devices, the messaging app currently doesn’t let you log out on your primary phone. It only gives you the option to delete your WhatsApp account, which clears all your data and removes you from all groups. The delete account option isn’t ideal if you only want to disable WhatsApp on your phone temporarily. Thankfully, the chat app seems to have a better solution in the works.
An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
We’ve spotted an upcoming “Logout” option in the latest WhatsApp beta release (version 2.25.17.37). As you can see in the attached screenshot, the option appears within the app’s Account settings. Tapping on it opens a pop-up with two options that let you log out of your WhatsApp with or without erasing all data and preferences.
The “Erase all Data & preferences” option works exactly like uninstalling WhatsApp from your device. It logs you out of WhatsApp and deletes all app data and preferences, but doesn’t remove you from groups. The “Keep all Data & preferences” option is better if you want a short break from the messaging app, troubleshoot an issue, or switch accounts, as it simply logs you out of your current account. Your chats, group chats, data, and preferences remain untouched, and restore everything by signing back in with your phone number.
The Logout option is likely being tested internally, as it shows an “Internal” badge in the current WhatsApp beta release. We expect it to reach some users with a subsequent beta build before rolling out widely on the stable channel, so you might have to wait a while to try it out.
https://shorturl.fm/j3kEj