WhatsApp is beefing up its privacy tools with a new feature called Advanced Chat Privacy, designed to help users keep their conversations more secure — and more private.
Starting today, users can enable the feature to block others from exporting chat histories or automatically downloading photos and videos shared in the app. It’s a notable move for group chats or sensitive discussions where participants may not know each other well.
How Does it Work?
The feature impacts both individual and group chats. With it turned on, recipients won’t be able to export messages to email, notes apps, or messaging platforms, and auto-downloads of shared media will be disabled. WhatsApp says the feature also applies to interactions involving Meta AI, limiting how messages can be used to generate questions or images.
That said, it’s not bulletproof, yet. As confirmed to The Verge by WhatsApp spokesperson Zade Alsawah, the setting doesn’t block screenshots or prevent users from manually saving media. But WhatsApp says this is just the “first version,” with more protections expected in future updates.
To enable Advanced Chat Privacy, just tap the name of a chat and look for the new setting in the menu.
It’s a small but meaningful step in WhatsApp’s ongoing privacy playbook, especially for users looking to keep their chats from leaking beyond the app.
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