WhatsApp is taking new steps to make conversations safer for its users, introducing a stronger privacy feature to limit cyber attacks, scams, and unauthorized access. The messaging platform hopes the update will give people more confidence when sending personal and sensitive information.
Called Advanced Chat Privacy, the setting is part of WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to improve user safety for its more than two billion users globally. The feature is being released gradually on both Android and iOS devices, ensuring everyone can access it over time.
This update adds extra safeguards to both individual and group chats by controlling how messages and media can leave the app. When turned on, it:
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Stops messages from being exported outside WhatsApp
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Prevents automatic downloads of media in protected chats
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Blocks third-party tools and AI systems from analysing chat content
The feature is designed to reduce the risk of information being leaked or misused, especially in cases involving financial scams, identity theft, or attempts to manipulate users.
WhatsApp notes it is particularly useful for discussions that involve personal details, professional matters, or group chats with people who do not know each other well.
Cyber threats targeting messaging platforms have surged in recent years, with fraudsters using WhatsApp to impersonate contacts, send malicious links, or trick people into sharing passwords and financial details.
Experts warn that exported or leaked chats are often used to create scams or phishing campaigns. By limiting how conversations leave the platform, WhatsApp aims to close one of the common loopholes exploited by criminals.
“Private messaging should stay private,” WhatsApp said in a statement, adding that the new setting is meant to give users more control over how their conversations are handled.
Advanced Chat Privacy can be activated manually in the app’s chat settings. Once enabled, all participants in a conversation automatically follow the same restrictions.
While the feature does not change WhatsApp’s existing end-to-end encryption, it strengthens protections after messages are delivered, focusing on storage, sharing, and reuse.
Although users can still take screenshots, WhatsApp says the controls significantly reduce large-scale misuse of chat data. In Kenya, where WhatsApp is widely used for work, family communication, and community projects, the new feature is expected to provide additional reassurance.
Small business owners, journalists, activists, and other professionals who rely on secure communication are among the main beneficiaries, alongside users who are more vulnerable to online scams.
