Give your WA contacts alternative contact method. Uninstall. Stop using WhatsApp.
Try having kids in Europe, everything they do is organized through WhatsApp group chats. I had to get a separate burner phone just for that.
Yeah, people in the US can choose not to have WhatsApp. In the rest of the world you have to be opt out of lots of stuff to not have WhatsApp.
You can create a work profile on Android and install Whatsapp in it, this way it won't have access to your main environment and contacts. For the f-droid loving crowd, try the Shelter app to set up the separate area.
The question may need a little more context - it's easy to avoid by simply uninstalling it. If you're actually asking how to minimize its presence, consider using an app like Island which isolates the apps into a separate profile which can't see anything in your main profile.
Remove lock-ins that forces people to use a specific chat app. Move private communication away from "platforms" to interoperable protocols. That is the only way for us to regain control over our own private communications.
Use telegram
Telegram is a privacy downgrade from WhatsApp. WA is at least end to end encrypted; Telegram is not.
Telegram is not a downgrade in this instance.
It's not encrypted by default, WhatsApp is.
yes it is.
it does not do the e2e hat-trick thou
Encryption without E2EE is completely worthless for the threat model discussed here.
That’s right. It’s either E2EE, or it’s not encrypted IMHO.
It doesn't blatantly spy on things you do outside of it
Why telegram instead of signal?
The app you have to pay premium to prevent them from selling your details to advertisers and scammers? Ha yes I totally trust them.