New WhatsApp update to introduce advanced chat privacy controls

WhatsApp is working on an advanced chat privacy feature to limit message sharing and add a new layer of privacy to user conversations.

This new feature is scheduled for release in a future update, WABetaInfo reported, citing the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.25.10.14 update, which is available on the Google Play Store.

The popular Meta-owned instant messaging app's new advanced chat privacy feature will allow users to restrict media from being automatically saved to the device gallery. 

It's worth noting that this restriction already applies to chats with disappearing messages, and WhatsApp now appears to be extending it to users who will enable the optional advanced chat privacy feature in the future.

This feature will offer a set of privacy protections, including restrictions on exporting entire chat histories. It will also enable WhatsApp to block the export of chat histories that include messages from users who have activated this setting, helping to safeguard private conversations and prevent unauthorised data transfers. 

This feature won't prevent message forwarding to maintain usability. Additionally, if advanced chat privacy is enabled, participants in the same conversation will not be able to interact with Meta AI in any way.

At present, the advanced chat privacy functionality is limited to these features. However, since this is an early stage of development, WhatsApp may expand its capabilities in the future, with additional features potentially being introduced based on user feedback and further testing.

Furthermore, there is no indication that WhatsApp is introducing a screenshot detection mechanism to prevent chat screenshots. 

The decision not to include screenshot detection is likely because users could still bypass it by using WhatsApp Web or other external methods to capture their screens. 

Unlike mobile apps, web clients don't offer built-in protection against screenshots, making it difficult to implement an effective restriction without users finding alternative ways to take screenshots. 

In addition, since this feature will still allow messages to be forwarded, implementing screenshot detection for chats would be useless, as users could simply share messages through forwarding instead.

Moreover, it is also important to note that all actions restricted by this optional privacy feature will be enabled when the feature is disabled by the user.