For your eyes only: WhatsApp tests Restricted Chat feature
What was sent from your iPhone, stays in your iPhone (or Android).
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- WhatsApp is testing Restricted Chat for Android and iOS beta users.
- The feature keeps specific one-on-one chats on the primary phone only.
- Restricted chats stop linked-device delivery, media auto-saves, chat exports, and Meta AI use.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
WhatsApp has introduced a privacy feature that allows users to make certain chats unavailable on other devices.
While users can access their chats via WhatsApp from linked devices, in some instances, users don’t want certain information to be accessible via these devices.
For this reason, WhatsApp has introduced its Restricted Chat feature, expanding the company’s Advanced Chat Privacy features.
The feature allows users to “limit specific chats to the primary mobile device only.”
Who can access the Restricted Chat feature?
The Restricted Chat feature is available in beta for devices running Android 2.26.39.11 and iOS 26.39.10.20, according to WABetaInfo.
The users can use the feature if they install the latest WhatsApp version from TestFlight. The selected testers can enable the feature by going to the chat info and enabling the toggle “Restricted Chat.”
Once the feature is enabled, it applies 4 restrictions to the chat for both users. It means that linked devices no longer receive these messages, the app also no longer automatically saves media from the conversation, and it doesn’t allow exporting the chat or using Meta AI features in it.
For now, the Restricted Chat feature is only available for individual chats.
Regardless of whether the new feature is on or off, WhatsApp messages and calls are always end-to-end encrypted, according to the platform.
The feature is currently only available in the test version, and it is unclear when it will be launched more widely.
Will it be a success?
This WhatsApp feature is part of its Advanced Chat Privacy features, which the company introduced to secure users' chats.
The Advanced Chat Privacy features can be turned on for a specific chat or group chat and include blocking chat exports, disabling automatic downloads for photos and videos, and restricting AI features.
Recently, the company introduced a change to how people find each other on the platform. Instead of adding someone using their phone number, WhatsApp asked users to create a username.
While the feature was created to ensure users no longer have to share their phone numbers, which is considered a quite sensitive piece of data, the switch to usernames also sparked online debate.
Many raised questions about safety and privacy, noting that scammers can use WhatsApp usernames to impersonate others.
