WhatsApp Restricted Chat Feature Arrives on Android and iOS: Here’s How It Protects Your Chats

WhatsApp has started testing a new Restricted Chat feature with select beta users on Android and iOS. The feature adds another layer of privacy for users who want tighter control over sensitive conversations and limits how chat content can be accessed, saved or shared.

Unlike WhatsApp's existing privacy settings, Restricted Chat is designed to place stricter controls on individual conversations. The feature is optional and needs to be enabled manually for supported chats.

According to beta tracking reports, the feature is being tested with some users running WhatsApp beta version 2.26.36.4 on Android and 26.39.10.20 on iOS. It builds on WhatsApp's Advanced Chat Privacy tools while introducing additional restrictions.

What Is WhatsApp Restricted Chat?

WhatsApp Restricted Chat can be enabled from the chat info screen of a supported conversation. Once activated, WhatsApp displays a notice inside the chat informing participants that additional privacy restrictions are enabled.

The setting does not apply to every conversation automatically. Users need to turn it on separately for individual chats where they want the additional protection.

Once enabled, Restricted Chat prevents several actions that could expose or reuse content from the conversation.

WhatsApp Restricted Chat Features

The new privacy feature reportedly introduces the following restrictions:

• Blocks automatic media saving to the device
• Disables chat export
• Prevents Meta AI features from being used within the conversation
• Blocks access through linked devices
• Limits access from unofficial clients and AI agents

The linked device restriction is particularly significant. WhatsApp is commonly used across smartphones, computers and web browsers, but Restricted Chat limits the protected conversation to the primary device.

This could provide an additional layer of protection for conversations containing sensitive information by reducing the number of devices and services through which the chat can be accessed.

Does Restricted Chat Change WhatsApp Encryption?

No. WhatsApp Restricted Chat does not replace or alter the platform's end to end encryption.

WhatsApp messages and calls continue to use end to end encryption whether Restricted Chat is enabled or disabled. Instead, the new feature focuses on controlling what users can do with the content after it has been received.

This means the feature is primarily designed to restrict actions such as exporting, saving and accessing conversations through other devices or services.

WhatsApp Restricted Chat Availability

The Restricted Chat feature is currently available only to select WhatsApp beta users on Android and iOS. It is not yet available to everyone.

As the feature is still being tested, WhatsApp could make changes to its functionality before a wider rollout. The company could also expand availability through future beta updates before introducing it to stable versions of the app.

Users who do not see the Restricted Chat option in their chat information screen will have to wait until WhatsApp expands the test or releases the feature more broadly.