WhatsApp is testing a new Restricted Chat feature on Android
WhatsApp is working on an upgrade to Advanced Chat Privacy with a new name to avoid confusion. It will limit certain chats to the user's primary mobile device, making it harder to access them through linked devices. The feature will also keep all the protections that Advanced Chat Privacy already offers.
| Key Points | Details |
|---|---|
| Feature: | Restricted Chat |
| Status: | Under development |
| Availability info: | This feature is currently in development and not yet available for beta testing. |
| Previous news: | WhatsApp is widely rolling out the full Liquid Glass experience! |
WhatsApp announced Advanced Chat Privacy last year
Last year, WhatsApp released Advanced Chat Privacy, an optional layer of privacy that users can enable for specific chats. With this feature, users can prevent other participants from exporting the conversation. It also stops media from being automatically saved to the device gallery. In addition, users cannot use Meta AI for their messages in these chats. WhatsApp shows a system message within the chat screen whenever someone changes this privacy setting. This makes everyone aware in the conversation when the privacy level changes.
WhatsApp is now testing an upgraded version called Restricted Chat
WhatsApp described Advanced Chat Privacy as a first version, with more capabilities planned for the future. Now, WhatsApp is working on an upgrade that also introduces a new name. We discovered this feature with the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.36.5 update, which is available on the Google Play Store. With this update, WhatsApp is testing a new feature called Restricted Chat that builds on Advanced Chat Privacy. In the past, some users assumed that chats without the feature enabled were less secure. The new name makes it harder to draw this wrong conclusion.
What Restricted Chat will do that Advanced Chat Privacy could not
The Restricted Chat feature will limit a conversation to the user's primary mobile device. When this option is active, users will be able to access a restricted conversation only on the primary phone. As a result, WhatsApp will not sync restricted chats to linked devices, so they cannot appear on WhatsApp Web or other mobile devices. This means that even if someone connects their account to a secondary device, they will not be able to access a restricted chat. The chat remains only on the primary mobile device. This feature is optional, so it is up to the user to choose which chats to restrict.
Why limiting linked devices matters in the age of AI agents
Linked devices are the most common entry point for unofficial clients and unauthorized tools. Some users may connect their account to modified web clients that can read their conversations. In some cases, these tools send messages to AI agents that process them without other participants ever finding out. WhatsApp will address this by introducing restricted chats. If users restrict a chat to the primary mobile device, neither linked devices nor tools that rely on them can access it.
What Restricted Chat keeps from Advanced Chat Privacy
Restricted Chat does not replace protections already offered by Advanced Chat Privacy. Instead, it builds on them to add a new layer of control on top. The three original controls remain in place. Media in a restricted chat will not be automatically saved to the device gallery. Other participants cannot export the full conversation. Users cannot share messages from the chat with Meta AI. These protections already addressed many situations where conversations could leave WhatsApp unintentionally. With the new Restricted Chat option, WhatsApp will extend those protections to cover linked devices as another possible exit point.
Restricted Chat may continue to evolve in the future
WhatsApp described Advanced Chat Privacy as a first version, and Restricted Chat may follow the same. WhatsApp may add new controls in the future as the privacy landscape around messaging keeps changing. For example, WhatsApp may find new situations that the new feature does not cover yet. For now, Restricted Chat is an important step beyond what Advanced Chat Privacy offers.
WhatsApp is developing Restricted Chat for a future Android update
This feature is currently under development on Android. This means that this functionality is not available yet. Even if users install the latest update, they won't be able to test this feature since it is in under development. We expect WhatsApp to make it available to users in a future update. WhatsApp has not announced when it plans to make the feature public.
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