WhatsApp has introduced a new suite of privacy features that gives users unprecedented control over their conversations, allowing them to block others from exporting or sharing chat content. The popular messaging platform’s latest update significantly enhances user privacy while potentially creating new challenges for those who rely on message backups.
Meta’s messaging giant unveiled the Advanced Chat Privacy controls this week, offering users the ability to prevent chat participants from forwarding messages, taking screenshots, or saving content from specific conversations. The feature represents one of the most significant privacy enhancements since the platform implemented end-to-end encryption.
“We’re constantly working to enhance the privacy of your conversations on WhatsApp,” the company stated in its announcement. “Today, we’re introducing Advanced Chat Privacy—a new level of protection that gives you more control over what happens to your messages after you send them.”
The new privacy controls are available for both individual and group chats. When enabled, the feature prevents other participants from saving media, forwarding messages, or capturing screenshots of the conversation. Additionally, the feature blocks the ability to export chat histories, a significant departure from WhatsApp’s previous approach to chat management.
Security experts have praised the move as a significant step forward for user privacy in an era of increasing digital surveillance and data breaches. The inability to export conversations could help protect sensitive information from being broadly shared without consent, particularly in professional or intimate contexts.
However, the feature has also raised concerns among some users who regularly back up important conversations. While WhatsApp will still maintain its standard backup functionality, any chat with Advanced Privacy enabled will be excluded from these backups, potentially creating complications for those who need to preserve records of certain conversations.
Consumer protection advocates have noted that the feature could be beneficial for victims of harassment or those concerned about their communications being shared without permission. “This gives users meaningful control over their digital conversations in a way we haven’t seen before from major platforms,” explained digital rights researcher Maya Patterson.
The feature works by implementing technical restrictions within the WhatsApp client that prevent common methods of content extraction. When a user enables Advanced Chat Privacy for a conversation, other participants will receive a notification about the changed settings but cannot override the restrictions unless the original user disables the feature.
For businesses that use WhatsApp for customer service or professional communications, the new feature creates potential compliance challenges. Many industries require the retention of communication records, which could conflict with conversations protected by Advanced Chat Privacy. WhatsApp has indicated that Business API accounts will have special provisions to address these regulatory requirements.
Meta has positioned this update as part of its broader commitment to privacy across its family of apps. The company has increasingly emphasized privacy features as a competitive advantage in the messaging space, particularly as it faces competition from secure messaging alternatives like Signal and Telegram.
To enable the new feature, users need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp, then access the privacy settings for individual conversations. The update is rolling out gradually to iOS and Android users worldwide, with complete availability expected within the coming weeks.
Industry analysts suggest the feature could significantly impact how people use WhatsApp, potentially encouraging more candid conversations while also raising questions about accountability and record-keeping. The tension between privacy and transparency continues to shape how messaging platforms evolve their feature sets.
The Advanced Chat Privacy controls also include protection against Meta’s AI systems accessing protected conversations. This addresses growing concerns about large language models being trained on private user communications, an issue that has generated controversy for several tech companies in recent months.
WhatsApp’s parent company Meta emphasized that the feature was developed in response to user feedback requesting greater control over how their messages could be used after sending. “We believe people should have the freedom to speak privately without worry about their messages living forever online,” a company spokesperson explained.
For users concerned about privacy but who still need to reference past conversations, WhatsApp recommends being selective about which chats receive the advanced protection. Standard chats can still be backed up and exported normally, while particularly sensitive conversations can be given the additional layer of protection.
The feature arrives at a time of increased regulatory scrutiny of messaging platforms worldwide, with various governments pushing for backdoor access to encrypted communications. WhatsApp’s move to strengthen privacy protections signals the company’s commitment to user confidentiality despite these regulatory pressures.
add an extra layer of protection to your chats 🔒 advanced chat privacy stops media downloads, block chat exports, and keep your messages between you and who you’re talking to pic.twitter.com/8wmh2OCgQL
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) April 23, 2025
