WhatsApp rolls out Restricted Chat feature to Android and iOS beta users

gsmarena.com — October 4, 2026 at 04:01 AM UTC

WhatsApp has begun rolling out its new Restricted Chat feature to beta users on both Android and iOS, upgrading the existing Advanced Chat Privacy option. The feature, available in beta versions 2.26.36.4 for Android and 26.39.10.20 for iOS, is optional and must be manually enabled per chat. Once activated, it imposes four restrictions: preventing automatic media saving, chat export, Meta AI features, and linked device access. WhatsApp states these limits help block unofficial clients or AI agents from accessing conversations, while confirming all messages remain protected by end-to-end encryption. A public release date has not been announced, so interested users must join the beta program to test it.

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