The new feature prevents selected conversations from appearing on linked devices and disables exports, gallery backups and Meta AI integration.
WhatsApp is testing a new privacy feature for Android beta users that gives people greater control over sensitive conversations by restricting access to selected chats across connected devices.
The feature, called Restricted Chat, prevents a protected conversation from being accessed through linked laptops, tablets or web browsers, keeping the chat available only on the user’s primary smartphone.
Meta initially introduced the feature under the name “Advanced Chat Privacy” but later renamed it Restricted Chat to distinguish it from end-to-end encryption, which protects normal personal WhatsApp conversations by default.
What Restricted Chat Does
Once Restricted Chat is enabled for a conversation, several privacy controls are applied to everyone participating in that thread.
The conversation is removed from access through linked devices, meaning messages can only be sent and received on the primary smartphone. This is designed to limit the number of devices through which the contents of a private conversation can be accessed.
The feature also prevents media shared within the restricted conversation from being automatically saved to the device’s photo gallery.
Users will also be unable to export the chat history, adding another layer of protection against conversations being copied outside WhatsApp.
In addition, Meta AI integration and automation features are disabled for the restricted conversation.
Why Linked Devices Are Restricted
The linked-device restriction is intended to reduce the ways private conversations can be accessed by other software or hardware.
Third-party messaging applications, unofficial WhatsApp clients and external AI tools can rely on linked-device protocols to access account data. By preventing a restricted conversation from being available on connected devices, WhatsApp limits those potential access routes.
The restriction also applies when another device or application is connected to the same WhatsApp account, keeping the selected conversation confined to the primary smartphone.
How to Enable Restricted Chat
Restricted Chat is currently being tested with a limited number of Android beta users through WhatsApp Beta 2.26.39.11, distributed via the Google Play Store.
To activate the feature, users can open the conversation they want to protect and tap the contact’s name at the top of the chat. From the Chat Info screen, they can then switch on Restricted Chat, which is disabled by default.
After activation, WhatsApp displays a notification in the conversation confirming that messages can only be sent and received on the primary mobile device.
The feature remains limited to beta testing, and its wider availability may depend on the outcome of the testing phase.