Many people use Potato for chatting, but few actually take the time to go through their privacy settings. It's not that they don't care, but rather they don't know where to start. This checklist helps you examine the three most critical scenarios—chats, groups, and login sessions—item by item, with each point corresponding to a specific action you can take. Just follow along.
Chat Privacy: Manage Your Last Line of Defense First
Chat history is the core of privacy. Potato supports end-to-end encryption by default, but some details are easy to overlook. Check the following four items:
- Message Preview Notifications: When your phone is locked, others might catch a glimpse of your message content. Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off "Show Message Preview," or change it to "Show Sender Only." This is especially useful in public places like subways or meeting rooms.
- Two-Way Deletion Time Window: Potato allows you to delete messages for both parties, but the default time window is limited. We recommend going to Settings > Privacy and setting "Message Deletion Time" to the maximum (currently 48 hours) to avoid being unable to recall a message sent by mistake.
- Sensitive Content Filtering: If you frequently receive files or links, enable "Filter Suspicious Files" under "Safe Mode." This can block some attachments with scripts, reducing the chance of being compromised.
- Voice Messages with "View Once": For important voice messages, you can set them to disappear automatically after being played once. Tap the timer icon next to the input field in a one-on-one chat and select "Delete After Playback." This is suitable for temporarily sharing verification codes or addresses.
A specific scenario: Last week, a user reported that when their phone was left in a taxi, the lock screen directly displayed the content of a new message containing a courier tracking number and house number. If they had turned off preview notifications in advance, this information would not have been exposed. That's why the first item has the highest priority.
Group Permissions: Don't Let Strangers Sneak Into Your Circle
Groups are a high-risk area for information leaks. Many people set their groups to "Anyone Can Join" for convenience, only to have spam and phishing accounts sneak in. Check the following three points:
- Group Invitation Permissions: In Group Settings > Member Permissions, change "Who Can Invite" to "Admins Only." If the group has more than 50 members, we also recommend enabling "New Members Require Admin Approval." Even if it adds an extra step, it can filter out 90% of spam accounts.
- Group Link Expiration: Temporarily shared group links may be valid for a long time by default. In Group Settings > Invite Link, change the validity period to "1 Day" or "7 Days." The link will automatically expire after that time, preventing it from being forwarded to unfamiliar groups.
- Message Forwarding Restrictions: If group discussions involve work or family information, enable "Disable Forwarding of Group Messages." This way, when members take screenshots and forward them, Potato will add a watermark with the group name for traceability.
A real case: A company created an internal project group on Potato, but someone posted the group link on a public forum. Within half a day, more than 30 unfamiliar accounts joined, and two of them started sending phishing links. The admin had to urgently change the setting to "Admin-Only Invites" and remove all unverified members to resolve the issue. So group permissions are no small matter.
Login Sessions: Regular Cleanup Matters More Than Passwords
Many people don't know that Potato allows you to see all devices where you've logged in. In Settings > Privacy & Security > Active Sessions, you can see the login time, location, and IP range for each device. We recommend checking on the following schedule:
- Clean Up Monthly: Log out of all sessions on old phones and public computers you no longer use. Especially if you've borrowed someone else's computer to log in, make sure to log out on the spot.
- Enable Two-Step Verification: In Settings > Privacy & Security, set an additional 6-digit password. This way, even if someone gets your phone verification code, they can't directly log in to a new device.
- Watch for Unusual IPs: If you notice a city or IP range in your session list that you've never visited, immediately click "Terminate All Other Sessions" and change your Potato password.
A numerical recommendation: Keep the number of "Active Sessions" to 3 or fewer (phone + tablet + computer). If it exceeds this number, it means you have devices that have been logged in for a long time without logging out, and the risk increases with the number. Additionally, after logging in on a public computer, remember to manually click "Log Out" rather than just closing the browser.
One final note: Privacy settings are not a one-time setup. Potato's version updates occasionally adjust default options, so we recommend spending 5 minutes going through this checklist every quarter. If you haven't checked your active sessions yet, open it now—you'll likely find something unexpected.
For a more secure chat experience, why not download the latest version of Potato now and go through this checklist item by item? Spend ten minutes to gain a year of peace of mind.
