8 WhatsApp Features to Boost Your Security and Privacy
SOURCE:Wired|BY:Kate O'Flaherty
Meta’s end-to-end encrypted messaging app is used by billions of people. Here’s how to make sure you’re one of the most locked-down ones out there.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 3 billion users. But its ubiquity also makes it a target for attackers. In December, security researchers documented a new form of account hijacking called GhostPairing, which sees users tricked into linking an attacker’s browser to their WhatsApp device.
Meanwhile, in November, Austrian researchers plugged billions of numbers into WhatsApp’s contact discovery tool to create “the most extensive exposure of phone numbers” ever—along with profile photos and more.
WhatsApp is protected by end-to-end encryption, the gold standard of security that, when implemented properly, means only you and the person you’re chatting with can read your messages. Behind the scenes, WhatsApp has also launched passkey-encrypted backups and privacy-enhanced AI technology.
But there are a bunch of features you can use to boost your own privacy and security in the Meta-owned app. Here are eight of the best.
Privacy Checkup
A good place to start is WhatsApp’s Privacy Checkup feature in Settings under Privacy, which allows you to control who sees data such as your profile photo, About information, and status. You can also add extra privacy to your profile by adjusting the last Seen/Online setting to Nobody.
From there, you can choose who is able to contact you on WhatsApp by blocking unwanted calls and messages. It’s also possible to specify who can add you to groups, silence unknown callers, and manage your blocked contacts.
Disappearing Messages
While WhatsApp is protected by end-to-end encryption, your messages can be read if you are compromised by spyware or if someone gains physical access to your device.
One way of helping to secure chats against this is which allows you to set a period of time for texts to stay visible before they are deleted. Messages can be set to disappear after 24 hours, seven days, or 90 days after they’re sent.
Disappearing messages can be set for all chats or for specific conversations. To enable the feature as default for new one-to-one chats, go to Settings > Privacy > Default message timer and set the time frame for messages to disappear.
Just keep in mind that the feature requires trust—anyone can screenshot a message, so you can’t guarantee that what you’ve sent will be deleted everywhere all the time.
Two-Factor Authentication Including a Security PIN
WhatsApp needs your phone number when you set up an account, but this can also leave it open to various security and privacy risks. A feature that will protect your WhatsApp account from such threats such is a security PIN.
The PIN works as two-factor authentication to protect your chats from prying eyes. Open WhatsApp Settings. Tap Account > Two-step verification > Turn on or Set up PIN. Enter a PIN of your choice and confirm it.
You can also add an email address in case you need to reset two-step verification. In addition, you can now add passkeys to protect your WhatsApp account.
App Lock and Chat Lock
When using an encrypted app such as WhatsApp, the last thing you want is your message previews popping up for everyone to see. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to disable push notifications in your smartphone’s settings panel.
You can also protect the app via FaceID or Touch ID on the iPhone, or with Android’s Fingerprint Lock. To enable App Lock in WhatsApp, go to Settings > Privacy > App Lock.
If some of your chats require extra privacy, you can lock them so they appear in a separate folder away from the main list. Also protected by your face or fingerprint, the Chat Lock feature can be enabled by going to the contact’s picture, scrolling down, and tapping Lock Chat.
If you need to delete conversations in a hurry, WhatsApp allows you to do so in Settings > Privacy > Chat Lock > Unlock and Clear Locked Chats.
Enable Advanced Security Settings
WhatsApp offers some advanced settings to help protect your account against scammers and prevent revealing your IP address. These settings are super-useful, but they are turned off by default.
To turn the settings on, go to Privacy > Advanced. The first is Block Unknown Messages, which stops you from being bombarded with high volumes of texts—a common scammer tactic.
Next up is the Protect Your IP Address setting, which ensures your calls are end-to-end encrypted via WhatsApp’s servers. This will prevent your IP address from being revealed, but the quality of your calls may be reduced.
Finally, if you enable Disable Link Previews, the links you send will not generate a preview, which may again reveal your IP address.
Advanced Chat Privacy
Another key feature for WhatsApp security is Advanced Chat Privacy, which helps prevent people taking your chats outside of the app, auto-downloading media to their phone, and using your messages for AI features.
To enable the feature for individuals, click the chat you want to edit. Go to View Contact > Advanced Chat Privacy, and turn it on. Just note, you need to enable Advanced Chat Privacy for each individual or group chat you want to apply it to.
For groups, be aware that anyone can update the setting, but an admin can restrict it. Click the chat you want to edit. Click Group Info > Group Permissions. Turn on Edit Group Settings. Go back to the Group page and click Advanced Chat Privacy and turn the feature on or off.
When using Advanced Chat Privacy, be warned that users who aren’t on the latest version of WhatsApp may still be able to share chats outside of the app, such as auto-downloading media—and you won’t be notified if this is the case.
Disable Read Receipts
One of the less private features in WhatsApp is the ability for a recipient to see when you’ve read a message via the blue-tick read receipts. You can disable these, but be aware that it works both ways, and you won’t be able to see when others read your messages. The feature doesn’t apply to group chats. Go to your Settings > Privacy > Read Receipts and toggle the feature off.
Turn Off Media Downloads
WhatsApp automatically saves the videos and photos sent to your phone, which is annoying to say the least. To prevent this, go to your Settings > Chats and turn off Save to Photos.
At the same time, WhatsApp allows you to send media and voice notes for one-time viewing. Just select the media you’d like to send, but before doing so tap the ‘1’ icon in the caption field.
All that said, WhatsApp says it takes the role of providing private communication “incredibly seriously.”
“We continue to lead the industry in meaningful innovations that protect people’s messages and calls, including through collaboration with security researchers to strengthen our defenses,” WhatsApp spokesperson Ellie Heatrick tells WIRED. “With every feature we build, we sweat the details to protect what matters most: The ability to communicate privately and securely.”