WhatsApp Adds Advanced Chat Privacy Feature to Block Chat Exports, Disable Automatic Media Downloads

WhatsApp has announced the rollout of a new ‘Advanced Chat Privacy’ feature that adds an extra layer of protection to one-on-one and group conversations. The new privacy and security feature is designed to prevent attempts to save media and export chat content. WhatsApp already offers end-to-end encryption for messages and calls, while the latest Advanced Chat Privacy functionality lets users prevent others from sharing content outside of WhatsApp for extra privacy. The new feature is rolling out to WhatsApp users on iOS and Android smartphones.

How WhatsApp’s Advanced Chat Privacy Feature Works

The Meta-owned instant messaging app officially announced the launch of the Advanced Chat Privacy feature through a blog post on Wednesday. WhatsApp states that the new feature, available in both individual and group chats, adds an extra layer of privacy by helping to prevent others from sharing content outside the messaging platform.

When the setting is on, Advanced Chat Privacy functionality lets you block others from exporting chats. It also prevents the automatic downloading of media you send to other users’ devices. Further, the feature restricts the use of messages for AI features (Meta AI). WhatsApp states that this functionality helps give everyone in the chat more assurance that the conversation is less likely to be shared beyond the chat.

WhatsApp believes this feature is especially useful in group conversations where participants may not know each other well, but the topics discussed are sensitive.

How to Enable Advanced Chat Privacy on WhatsApp

Users can turn on the Advanced Chat Privacy feature by tapping the Chat name and tapping Advanced Chat Privacy. This new setting is rolling out to everyone who has updated WhatsApp to the latest version, according to the company.

WhatsApp has also confirmed that this is the first version of this feature, and it’s working on adding more protections to Advanced Chat Privacy to make it even more effective. WhatsApp also offers security features like disappearing messages, end-to-end encryption, chat locks and more for users with higher privacy and security requirements.