Hide WhatsApp About From Certain Contacts: How-To

This guide shows you how to hide your WhatsApp “About” (the status text under your name) from specific contacts without blocking them or changing it for everyone. You’ll need a phone with WhatsApp installed and updated, and you’ll need to know the contact’s name as saved in your phone.

What You’ll Need

• A smartphone with WhatsApp installed (Android or iPhone)
• The WhatsApp app updated to a recent version (the privacy controls have been available since 2020, but keep it current)
• The contact you want to hide your About from must be saved in your phone’s address book and visible in WhatsApp

Step-by-Step

1. Open WhatsApp on your phone.
2. Tap the three dots (⋮) in the top-right corner on Android, or the Settings tab (gear icon) at the bottom-right on iPhone.
3. Select Settings from the menu.
4. In Settings, tap Privacy.
5. Tap About (it’s usually the first option under the “Who can see my personal info” section).
6. You’ll see the current visibility setting. Tap My contacts except….
7. A list of all your WhatsApp contacts will appear. Tap the checkbox next to each contact you want to hide your About from. You can search for a specific name using the search bar at the top.
8. Once you’ve selected all the contacts, tap the checkmark (✓) in the top-right corner (Android) or Done (iPhone) to save.
9. Your About is now hidden from those selected contacts. They will see nothing in the About field when they view your profile.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing “Everyone” instead of “My contacts except…” – This hides your About from people not in your contacts, but shows it to everyone you know. Double-check you selected the right option.
• Selecting the wrong contact – The list shows names as saved in your phone. If you have multiple entries for the same person (e.g., “John” and “John (Work)”), you may need to select both.
• Forgetting to save – On some Android versions, tapping the back button without hitting the checkmark may discard your changes. Always confirm the checkmark or Done button.
• Expecting the change to be instant for everyone – WhatsApp may cache profile info. The hidden contact might still see your old About for a short period (usually minutes to a few hours) until their app refreshes.

Tips

• Use the search bar in the contact list to quickly find the person you want to exclude, especially if you have hundreds of contacts.
• Review your selection periodically. If you add a new contact later, they will automatically see your About (since they’re not on the exception list). You’ll need to repeat these steps to add them.
• Combine with other privacy settings. While you’re in the Privacy menu, consider checking your “Last seen”, “Profile photo”, and “Status” visibility. The same “My contacts except…” option works for all of them.
• Remember this only affects your About text. It does not hide your profile photo, last seen, or status updates. Those are separate settings.

Troubleshooting

• The contact still sees my About. First, ask them to close and reopen WhatsApp or restart their phone. If it persists, double-check that the contact is actually saved in your phone’s address book and that you selected the correct entry. If they are saved with a different number or name, you may have missed them.
• The option “My contacts except…” is greyed out or missing. This indicates your WhatsApp version is outdated. Go to your app store (Google Play Store or Apple App Store), search for WhatsApp, and update it.
• I can’t find the Privacy menu. On older versions, it might be under Settings > Account > Privacy. If you still can’t find it, update the app.
• I want to undo this. Go back to Settings > Privacy > About and select a different option (e.g., “Everyone” or “My contacts”). The exception list will be cleared.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I hide my About from just one person?
A: Yes, select “My contacts except…” and check only that one person’s name.

Q: Will the person know I hid my About from them?
A: No, WhatsApp does not send a notification. They will simply see no About text when they view your profile. They might notice it’s gone, but there’s no alert.

Q: Does this also hide my profile photo or last seen?
A: No, the About setting is separate. You must configure those separately in the same Privacy menu.

Q: What happens if I change my About text later?
A: The same privacy rule applies. The contacts on your exception list will not see the new text either.

Q: Can I hide my About from a group of people, like a specific group chat?
A: No, the setting works per contact, not per group. You would need to manually select each member of the group from your contact list.

Q: If I block someone, do they still see my About?
A: No. Blocked contacts cannot see your profile photo, last seen, status, or About. Blocking is a more extreme measure than using the “except” list.

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