People have gotten pretty concerned about privacy on WhatsApp lately. The official app’s privacy options just don’t cut it for everyone.

Lots of folks want more say over who can see their online status, typing indicators, and other bits of personal info. That desire has nudged a bunch of users toward modded versions of WhatsApp.

Modified versions of WhatsApp, like FM WhatsApp, go way beyond the basics for privacy settings. You can hide your online status from certain contacts or keep your typing indicators under wraps.

There’s also a bunch of options for profile picture privacy, chat locks, and even beefed-up two-step verification. These features let you tweak your experience in ways the official app just doesn’t allow.

But before diving in, it’s smart to take a step back. Using modded WhatsApp apps can open the door to some real privacy and security risks.

If you’re thinking about giving these a try, make sure you trust your download source. Honestly, it’s not a bad idea to back up your chats regularly, just in case.

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Core Privacy Perks in FM WhatsApp and Other Modded Versions

FM WhatsApp and similar apps really ramp up privacy controls compared to the official version. You get more freedom to decide what others can see and how much of your info is out there.

Advanced Message Privacy Controls

FM WhatsApp lets you lock individual chats with a fingerprint, PIN, or password. That means your private convos stay private, even if someone gets your phone.

They also let you delete messages well after the official app’s time limit runs out. You can take back something you said hours or even days later.

Anti-deletion features are a bit sneaky—they let you read messages people tried to unsend. If you want to keep a record of everything, this is handy.

There’s also stronger encryption for local chat backups, so your conversation histories aren’t just sitting there unprotected.

Enhanced Status and Online Visibility Features

Probably one of the best tricks is hiding your online status. You can scroll through chats without anyone knowing you’re active.

FM WhatsApp lets you pick exactly who sees your status updates. You can make custom lists and control who gets to view what.

You can even check out other people’s statuses without them knowing. No more awkward “seen” notifications.

Want to look offline while you’re actually online? Or maybe set a fake “last seen” time? FM WhatsApp’s got options for that too.

Customizable Read Receipts and Typing Indicators

Read receipts get a serious upgrade. You can read messages without showing blue ticks, and you can set this for each contact instead of everyone at once.

Don’t want someone to see you’re typing? Just turn off typing indicators for specific people. It’s perfect if you’re crafting a careful reply.

There’s even a way to “freeze” your read status, so messages stay marked as unread even after you open them. That can buy you some time to respond.

Security Customizations and Potential Privacy Risks

Modded WhatsApp apps pile on the security options, but they’re not without their downsides. You get more control, sure, but you might also open yourself up to new vulnerabilities.

App Lock and Security Enhancements

Most of these mods come with app locks that blow the official app out of the water. You can use patterns, PINs, or fingerprints to lock down individual chats or the whole app.

Some mods even throw in two-factor authentication—both biometric and password. That lets you set different security levels depending on how sensitive a conversation is.

Anti-deletion protection keeps messages around even if the sender tries to erase them. It’s great for records, but it does ignore the sender’s wishes.

Permissions Management and Data Handling

These apps let you get super specific about permissions. You can decide which contacts get access to your camera, mic, or location, instead of applying settings to everyone.

Want to control what media gets downloaded and where it goes? Some mods let you stash sensitive stuff in a separate folder, away from your main storage.

You can check out detailed analytics on data usage, so you know exactly which chats are eating up your bandwidth and space.

But here’s the thing—these features work outside Meta’s ecosystem. That means there’s less oversight, and possibly more risk in how your data is handled or stored.

Limitations and Associated Privacy Concerns

Research shows modded WhatsApp apps come with some serious privacy risks. Third-party developers make these modifications without any official oversight, so you never really know what’s happening with your data.

Most mods skip proper end-to-end encryption checks. That means someone could intercept your messages, or mod developers might just store them somewhere.

Security researchers have spotted modded versions quietly sending user data to outside servers. They usually don’t bother telling you about it, either.

These apps rarely get regular security updates. When WhatsApp pushes out a patch, the modded versions often lag behind, leaving users exposed.

On top of that, using unofficial WhatsApp mods breaks the platform’s terms of service. There’s a real chance your account could get suspended if you’re caught.

Honestly, cybersecurity experts mostly say it’s not worth using these modded apps for anything sensitive. The privacy issues just haven’t been solved.