New WhatsApp feature could make private chats accessible only on your phone

The instant messaging platform "WhatsApp" is testing a new feature that allows users to block devices linked to their account from accessing a specific conversation, with the aim of strengthening control over the privacy of conversations.

The feature, called "Restricted Chat", has gradually started appearing to a number of beta users on Android devices, after it debuted in beta version 2.26.36.4.

When the feature is enabled, devices associated with the account won't be able to read the content of the restricted conversation, and a message will appear within the conversation indicating that sending and receiving messages is only available from the primary device.

The feature was previously known as "Advanced Chat Privacy", before WhatsApp changed its name to "Restricted Chat", while the platform explained that conversations are already protected by end-to-end encryption technology, while the new feature aims to give the user more control over how they access their conversations.

The feature can be manually activated from the chat info screen, and it's disabled by default. It is currently available in beta version 2.26.39.11 via the Google Play Store, and currently only works within individual conversations.

When enabled, the feature imposes a number of restrictions, including preventing automatic saving of sent media in the gallery, preventing conversation export, disabling Meta AI features within it, and preventing access to them from devices associated with the account.

The feature also prevents some informal apps and AI agents that rely on connected devices to access and read conversations from accessing restricted conversations.

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