WhatsApp Restricted Chat is rolling out to selected Android and iOS beta users, adding an optional per-chat switch that blocks automatic media saving, chat exports, Meta AI features and linked-device access. The feature was first tested in Android beta 2.26.36.4 and is now reaching testers on newer builds, according to GSMArena.
WhatsApp’s Android rollout is appearing in beta version 2.26.39.11, according to WABetaInfo’s Android report. Its iOS report says the feature is reaching some TestFlight users on version 26.39.10.20.
What WhatsApp Restricted Chat blocks
You can turn on the optional control from a chat’s info screen. When enabled, the conversation’s media will not automatically save to participants’ device galleries, the chat cannot be exported, and Meta AI features cannot be used in that conversation.
It also keeps the conversation off linked devices, restricting it to the primary phone for participants using the latest WhatsApp version. WhatsApp says that this helps prevent unofficial clients or AI agents from accessing messages through a linked device.
Who can use WhatsApp Restricted Chat?
The feature is available to some beta testers, not everyone with the listed app version. The rollout is gradual, and WABetaInfo says it currently works for individual chats; WhatsApp has not announced a public release date.
For WhatsApp users in the UAE, this is a per-conversation option for sensitive one-to-one chats, not a blanket privacy switch. It sits alongside other changes, including WhatsApp’s private AI chats and usernames that can keep a phone number private when starting conversations. WhatsApp has not announced a UAE-specific public rollout date.
Restricted Chat does not switch encryption on or off. WhatsApp says messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted whether or not its existing Advanced Chat Privacy setting is enabled, as its Help Center explains.
Can WhatsApp Restricted Chat be used in group chats?
So far, beta reports describe it as available for individual conversations only. WhatsApp’s existing Advanced Chat Privacy control still supports group chats, but the reports do not confirm that the new linked-device restriction works in groups.
Does WhatsApp Restricted Chat stop someone taking a screenshot or copying a message?
The reported controls do not include screenshot blocking or prevent manual copying. They limit automatic media saving, chat export, Meta AI use and linked-device access, not every way a participant could reproduce information.
