In what is sure to be music to the ears of those sick of having irrelevant memes sent to them every 30 seconds by people you barely know, you’ll soon be able to leave WhatsApp group chats without anyone finding out.
Whether it’s a group made up of extended family members you see only see twice a year, colleagues at work, mutual friends you’re not really that keen on, or people you only met one time because you were at the same pre-drinks together before a night out, most of us are part of a WhatsApp group chat we’d rather not be.
The type of group chat you’re not really sure how you became a part of, and the type of chat you’ve got no clue how to politely leave.
And a big part of the reason most of us can’t bring ourselves to leave those groups is because, the second you do, a little notification pops-up at the bottom of the chat to notify everyone else that you have “left” – which can, understandably, be pretty awkward and embarrassing.
Luckily though, WhatsApp and Mark Zuckerberg – who is chief executive of the messaging service’s parent company, Meta – is soon to introduce a handful of new changes designed with the aim of making written messages as “secure as face-to-face conversations”, and one of those changes is allowing people to leave group chats without other members in the group finding out.
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You’ll soon be able to leave WhatsApp group chats without anyone finding out / Credit: Pixabay
The company says that now only administrators of the group will receive a notification to inform them a member has exited the chat.
On top of that somewhat life-saving change, the other changes being introduced will allow people to control who can see when they are online, and also prevent screenshots being taken by other users of auto-deleting ‘View Once’ messages.
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At present, the messaging service broadcasts to all contacts of a user when they are online and have the app open, but now, this is something that users will be able to choose to share with others.
WhatsApp had also previously-warned users to “only send photos or videos with ‘View Once’ media enabled to trusted individuals”, as it was possible to take a screenshot or screen recording of the message before it disappeared – but now, the act of taking screenshots will be prohibited.
In his post announcing the new WhatsApp updates, Mr Zuckerberg explained that the company will “keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”
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It’s part of a number of new changes aimed at making messages as “secure as face-to-face conversations” / Credit: Eyestetix Studio (via Unsplash)
Meta has stated on a number of occasions that it believes end-to-end encryption is the only way to ensure users are able to message each other without a third party eavesdropping on them.
Mr Zuckerberg announced his plans to transform privacy on WhatsApp in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal back in 2019, and made it impossible for Meta itself to read the content of messages that users share, which is similar to how it cannot access the content of WhatsApp messages.
However, these changes have not yet been implemented across Meta’s other platforms.
“We believe WhatsApp is the most secure place to have a private conversation,” added Ami Vora – Head of Product at WhatsApp.
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“And to spread the word about these new features, we’re also kicking off a global campaign, starting with the UK and India, to educate people about how we work to protect their private conversations on WhatsApp.”
Hawksmoor issues statement after ‘kicking out’ Tommy Robinson from one of its restaurants
Daisy Jackson
Hawksmoor has issued a statement after a viral video captured far-right activist Tommy Robinson being asked to leave one of its restaurants.
In the video, staff at the acclaimed British steak house told Robinson – real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – that he would have to go because members of staff feel uncomfortable serving you’.
The supervisor then politely told the party not to worry about the drinks and that they had been paid for, also handing over a business card for Hawksmoor CEO Will Beckett in case they wanted to discuss the matter further.
Robinson was dining in one of the group’s London restaurants with former prominent EDL member Guramit Singh Kalirai who challenged the staff and asked: “Is it because of the colour of my skin?”
The supervisor responded: “No, no, no. We have a duty of care to our members of staff. We like to look after our people, as I’m sure you can understand.”
After the video went viral on X, Hawksmoor went on to share a statement in response, saying that guests and staff ‘felt uncomfortable and complained’.
The statement, signed by CEO Will Beckett, added that the Hawksmoor team has faced ‘a huge amount’ of ‘quite concerning’ fallout from the Tommy Robinson incident.
He added that ‘this was not about politics or beliefs’.
Hawksmoor’s statement reads: “Our focus is always to give the best restaurant experience to the most people possible.
“On Thursday, a public figure was asked to leave one of our restaurants because guests and staff felt uncomfortable and had complained. The party left peacefully and politely on request.
“This was not about politics or beliefs. Hawksmoor is not a political organisation; we’re a group of restaurants. We want to welcome as many people as possible, regardless of background or views, to our teams or as our guests.
“We’re not trying to engage in a public debate. The team has had to deal with a huge amount of fallout from this, some of which is quite concerning. We would like to get back to focussing on looking after those people, and our guests. Thank you to them, and the many of you who have been so supportive.”
Police release footage of missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei’s last-known movements
Emily Sergeant
Video footage showing the last-known movements of a Manchester man who’s been missing for three weeks now has been released.
Detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are continuing to search for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, who has not been seen since Friday 16 May.
The 25-year-old was seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.
Multiple lines of enquiry being explored by police at present, but anyone who believes they may have seen him from around this time, is asked to get in touch.
Adeo is described as being a mixed-race male, with long curly black hair and a long singular dreadlock, and bleached eyebrows. He has a cupid’s bow piercing and a right eyebrow piercing. He also has an ‘AKA’ tattoo on his right wrist, and a ‘24’ tattoo in the right side of his chest.
He was last seen wearing long blue denim shorts, an undone green short-sleeved button-up shirt, and white Adidas trainers.
Friends have also recently set up a public fundraiser to help with the search for Adeo.
Adeo Alston-Ekpei has been missing for almost three weeks / Credit: GMP
“We are dedicated to finding Adeo and getting much-needed answers for his family,” commented Detective Inspector Kelly, from GMP’s Manchester district, as the footage was released to the public this week.
“I would ask any residents around the Kingsway area, and surrounding housing estates off Kingsway into Gately, and who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from around this time, to please check and get in touch if you have any information.
“Likewise, if anyone believes they have seen Adeo, please get in touch with one of our officers. Any information is appreciated and investigated as we continue our work.”
#MISSING | We are continuing to ask for information relating to missing Adeo, who was last seen on May 16.
We have additionally released CCTV footage showing Adeo’s last known movements on Kingsway, Manchester.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 5, 2025
A spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.
“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”
Anyone with any information regarding Adeo’s whereabouts is urged to contact South Manchester CID directly on 0161 856 6051 or 0161 856 6063, or you can use the LiveChat function on GMP’s website and quote log number 838 of 18/05/25.
Alternatively, you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
9th August 2022 
