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WhatsApp Tests Advanced Privacy Feature for Blocking Chat Exports

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WhatsApp is testing a new option that lets you control whether other chat members can export your chats with them or automatically save media you send them, according to WaBetaInfo.

Whatsapp-Feature.jpg

Referred to as "advanced chat privacy," the new option has a toggle in a recent WhatsApp beta for iOS. By turning it on, you can prevent individual users or people in a group chat from exporting the entire chat history outside of WhatsApp.

Enabling the option in a group chat causes everyone in the chat to be notified that advanced chat privacy has been enabled. WaBetaInfo says that turning on the toggle also turns off Meta AI, which lets users interact with a chat bot as part of the wider conversation.

The advanced chat privacy feature also reportedly stops shared media from automatically saving to people's device camera rolls, even if they have "Save all media" enabled for you. But it's not clear if it also prevents users from manually saving photos and video.

While the option prevents complete chat histories from being exported, users are still able to forward individual messages or screenshot them when the setting is enabled, so it doesn't provide total protection. That said, users can still ratchet up the security level by turning on disappearing messages and choosing a set time before they auto-delete.

As this is a beta feature in testing, it's not clear if or when the new advanced chat privacy feature will roll out to the general public.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp recently launched a new feature that allows users to include a brief music clip in their Status update, which sounds reminiscent of Myspace. Users can post music clips of up to 15 seconds for photos and up to 60 seconds for videos. Music shared on Status is end-to-end encrypted, so only friends can see the songs – not even WhatsApp itself can view what songs users share.

Article Link: WhatsApp Tests Advanced Privacy Feature for Blocking Chat Exports
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/08/whatsapp-tests-blocking-chat-exports/
Brilliant Meta! Not! WhatsApp is the no1 messenger used by scammers to entice people into a romance or pig butchering scam. Making it harder for victims to export their data and share what has happened is a move that is just super dumb.
 
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strongly disagree with META over this and they have also destroyed Instagram the past 3ish years. 2021ish was the last decent year for social media. I miss when you can comment people without automatically getting flagged and such.
 
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Right. Like my P&S camera can’t take. a picture or video of the screen as I scroll through the chat. The only way to ensure 100% privacy is to not use a messaging app.
 
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NUFC2025 said:
I managed to block the Meta AI. I left this app and slammed the door behind me.
Click to expand...
Indeed, this is all a bit of a hoax. Investing heavily in the development and promotion of security features regarding the messages themselves, whilst on the other hand actively harvesting about all possible metadata the app can get to train their algorithms and ai models to provide dictators a platform to ventilate their propaganda and help them in their political campaigns by stopping all forms of factchecking.
I recently made the switch to Signal and plan on leaving WhatsApp as soon as enough of my contacts made the switch as well. I'm seeing a worldwide increase in Signal users. I feel like this year may be the year where we can finally leave WhatsApp and Meta behind.
 
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This new feature is not so useful as the other user can still take the picture of the media sent through other device. Stopping them from downloading the media is of no use.
 
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NUFC2025 said:
I managed to block the Meta AI. I left this app and slammed the door behind me.
Click to expand...
I would in a heartbeat if it wasn't so engrained in UK society. With any look Meta will be broken up in a few months and their AI plans with it.
 
messages belong to both parties individually. you'll never prevent someone from screenshotting, taking a picture of their phone screen, or some other method to get a archive of messages. this is just meta making news for nobody.
 
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They already blocked screen grabs. I just pick up my ipad and take photos of my phone with it.
 
Ctrlos said:
I'd like a way to block the Meta AI!
Click to expand...

It's called delete the app. It works perfectly without any complex configuration. ;)

My advice to everyone still under pressure of having to use any of the Meta software:
  • Under no circumstance, download their app. Never! Especially not on your personal devices.
  • Never give them your phone number. Never! They really don't need that, whatever others might say.
  • If you really have to use a Meta app, use the web version and via a separate browser that isn't Chrome based.
  • Only use separate email address that you exclusively use for Meta (hide-my-email for example).
  • Call your doctor for help getting rid of the urge to use social media apps.
 
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Powerbooky said:
It's called delete the app. It works perfectly without any complex configuration. ;)

My advice to everyone still under pressure of having to use any of the Meta software:
  • Under no circumstance, download their app. Never! Especially not on your personal devices.
  • Never give them your phone number. Never! They really don't need that, whatever others might say.
  • If you really have to use a Meta app, use the web version and via a separate browser that isn't Chrome based.
  • Only use separate email address that you exclusively use for Meta (hide-my-email for example).
  • Call your doctor for help getting rid of the urge to use social media apps.
Click to expand...
I actually today downloaded Beeper as a way around it.
 
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Good to know about the expected changes. But I don't use the app much. Not expecting to see a rollout of this feature immediately. It might remain in beta stage for some time.
 
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dsdevries said:
Indeed, this is all a bit of a hoax. Investing heavily in the development and promotion of security features regarding the messages themselves, whilst on the other hand actively harvesting about all possible metadata the app can get to train their algorithms and ai models to provide dictators a platform to ventilate their propaganda and help them in their political campaigns by stopping all forms of factchecking.
I recently made the switch to Signal and plan on leaving WhatsApp as soon as enough of my contacts made the switch as well. I'm seeing a worldwide increase in Signal users. I feel like this year may be the year where we can finally leave WhatsApp and Meta behind.
Click to expand...
Yeah something I didn’t know until I recently dowloaded FB to get access to Marketplace (which I didn’t) is, that the app can actually and precisely track your phone movement.
I was scrolling though my subscription free timeline and saw all kinds of Meta pushed content, including 3D images and 360° pictures. My first thought was that no way they wouldn‘t harvest motion data, no way they don’t recognize the hand motion of showing someone else what’s on screen, no way this isn’t a cover to incorporate a technology that can spy on users in the real world without access to mics or cameras.
I bet that they use this to harvest data, I bet.
 
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