WhatsApp offers its users end-to-end encryption by default, though entire conversation sharing has been very easy on the app. You can directly export the chat history without any restrictions. For those who want more privacy and do not want their messages to be shared, WhatsApp is now reportedly working on a new feature called advanced chat privacy, which will prevent auto-media saving.
WhatsApp beta 2.25.10.14 adds advanced chat privacy controls
The WhatsApp beta program lets users try the early build of the app, though due to a limit on the maximum number of testers, not everyone can participate. However, folks over at WABetaInfo have managed to install the latest beta version v2.25.10.14 of the app and found a few new features, including the advanced chat privacy feature.
The new advanced chat privacy feature will let users restrict media from automatically getting saved to the device gallery. This means that if someone receives media and the sender has enabled this feature, then the media will not save to the gallery. As a result, the user will need to manually save the images to their deviceโs gallery. Notably, WhatsApp already offers similar functionalities with its disappearing messages feature, but this new feature aims to enhance privacy and put more control in the senderโs hands.
Additionally, WhatsApp blocks the export of entire chat histories from users who have enabled the advanced chat privacy feature in the settings. This helps protect any private conversations since the export will simply not work. The participants will also not be able to interact with Meta AI. It is worth noting that the new privacy feature does not block message forwarding. Blocking this may break the usability of the app, as forwarding texts is a key feature of WhatsApp.
Advanced chat privacy is an optional feature, which means you get a choice to enable it for specific chats. Either side can manage this feature, similar to Disappearing Messages. If one person enables it, the privacy restrictions will also apply to the other side. These are good steps by WhatsApp to improve privacy. Users can expect this new privacy feature in the coming weeks when WhatsApp rolls out version 2.25.10.14 to the stable channel.
