WhatsApp is testing Restricted Chat (renamed from Advanced Chat Privacy), which blocks a conversation from being accessed on linked devices and third-party/AI tools, keeping it on each participant's primary phone only. Rolling out in beta on Android and iOS, no stable release date yet.
WhatsApp is testing a new way to keep selected conversations off a person’s linked devices, such as a laptop, tablet, or secondary phone. The company is expanding Advanced Chat Privacy with a new restriction that limits a chat to each participant’s primary phone, and renaming the setting to Restricted Chat to make its purpose clearer. According to WABetaInfo, the update is reaching some testers running WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.39.11 and iOS 26.39.10.20.
The main addition is the ability to block linked-device access for everyone in a selected conversation – a control Advanced Chat Privacy didn’t previously offer, which meant chats stayed available across connected devices even with its existing protections turned on.
Restricting a conversation also stops third-party clients and AI tools from accessing its messages through WhatsApp’s linked-device connections. The three existing Advanced Chat Privacy controls remain in place alongside it: participants can’t export the conversation, media won’t automatically save to device galleries, and Meta AI features can’t be used inside the chat. Users can turn on Restricted Chat from the chat information screen, after which a system message alerts everyone involved that the restrictions are active. For now, the feature appears limited to individual conversations only.
The feature is rolling out gradually across both the Android and iOS beta programs, so installing a compatible version doesn’t guarantee access yet. WhatsApp hasn’t announced when Restricted Chat will reach the stable app.
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Robert Haba is the founder and editor-in-chief of Droid Tools. A lifelong gadget enthusiast with over a decade following the Android ecosystem, he built this publication to cut through the noise and give readers honest, real-world coverage of the tech they actually use.
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