Soon, WhatsApp will prevent exporting chats, saving media automatically

Reportedly, the next safety and privacy focus update for WhatsApp will help users safeguard private conversations and prevent unauthorised data transfers

WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new advanced chat privacy feature, which will let users block others from exporting chats and saving shared media in the gallery. According to WhatsApp update tracker WABetaInfo, the feature is part of the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android, available to select users for testing. WhatsApp is expected to roll out these privacy tools more widely in the coming weeks.

 

As per the report, once this setting is enabled, any media files shared by the user in a conversation will not be automatically saved in the recipient’s device gallery. Currently, this restriction is limited to chats with disappearing messages. Apart from shared media, WhatsApp will block the export of chat history which contains messages from users who have opted for this advanced chat privacy setting, protecting private conversations. It also prevents interaction with Meta AI within that specific conversation.

 

This WhatsApp setting will help to safeguard private conversations and prevent unauthorised data transfers. Although the feature will not prevent message forwarding to maintain usability, it will act as an additional layer of privacy for giving users more control over their conversations. The report stated that the new advanced chat privacy feature will be optional, and will require manual enabling from within the settings menu. Moreover, it will be applicable on per conversation basis.

In related news, WhatsApp is testing privacy features for its calling functionality. Reportedly, a new mute button will appear in the notification panel when receiving an incoming voice call. This will allow users to accept the call while muting their microphone at the same time. For its video calling, a new ‘disable video’ option will be added, allowing users to disable their camera before answering the call.