Messenger Privacy Settings: A 10-Minute Checklist

Ten minutes, ten settings, much more privacy. All of these are in Settings › Privacy & security in Yapie unless noted.

#1. Last seen & online

Choose **Everyone**, **My contacts** or **Nobody**. If you hide yours, you won't see others' either.

#2. Profile photo

Limit to **My contacts** so strangers can't save your picture.

#3. Bio

Same choices — keep personal details for people you know.

#4. Who can add me to groups

**My contacts** or **Nobody** stops random group adds; others send an invitation you can ignore.

#5. Who can message me

**Everybody (via Requests)** keeps strangers in a separate inbox with links disabled; **Only my contacts** blocks them entirely.

#6. Who can call me

**My contacts** is a sensible default.

#7. Read receipts and typing indicator

Turn off if you want to read without pressure to reply. See [turning off read receipts](/blog/how-to-turn-off-read-receipts).

#8. Two-step verification

The single most important security setting. See [the 2FA guide](/blog/two-step-verification-guide).

#9. App passcode

Locks Yapie after inactivity on that device.

#10. Lock-screen previews

**Settings › Notifications & sounds › Show message text** → off.

#Bonus checks

- **Settings › Devices**: end sessions you don't recognise. - **Blocked users**: review the list. - **Contacts sync**: numbers are hashed before matching; turn sync off if you prefer. - **Settings › App permissions**: see which phone permissions Yapie has.

#Frequently asked questions

How do I hide my last seen in Yapie?

Settings › Privacy & security › Last seen & online › My contacts or Nobody.

How do I stop strangers adding me to groups?

Set Who can add me to groups to My contacts or Nobody.

What's the most important privacy setting?

Two-step verification, because it stops account takeovers even if your password leaks.