8 WhatsApp Features to Boost Your Security and Privacy

WhatsApp is 1 of the astir fashionable messaging apps successful the world, with implicit 3 cardinal users. But its ubiquity besides makes it a people for attackers. In December, information researchers documented a caller signifier of relationship hijacking called GhostPairing, which sees users tricked into linking an attacker’s browser to their WhatsApp device.

Meanwhile, successful November, Austrian researchers plugged billions of numbers into WhatsApp’s interaction find instrumentality to make “the astir extended vulnerability of telephone numbers” ever—along with illustration photos and more.

WhatsApp is protected by end-to-end encryption, the golden modular of information that, erstwhile implemented properly, means lone you and the idiosyncratic you’re chatting with tin work your messages. Behind the scenes, WhatsApp has besides launched passkey-encrypted backups and privacy-enhanced AI technology.

But determination are a clump of features you tin usage to boost your ain privateness and information successful the Meta-owned app. Here are 8 of the best.

Privacy Checkup

A bully spot to commencement is WhatsApp’s Privacy Checkup diagnostic successful Settings nether Privacy, which allows you to power who sees information specified arsenic your illustration photo, About information, and status. You tin besides adhd other privateness to your illustration by adjusting the past Seen/Online mounting to Nobody.

From there, you tin take who is capable to interaction you connected WhatsApp by blocking unwanted calls and messages. It’s besides imaginable to specify who tin adhd you to groups, soundlessness chartless callers, and negociate your blocked contacts.

Disappearing Messages

While WhatsApp is protected by end-to-end encryption, your messages tin beryllium work if you are compromised by spyware oregon if idiosyncratic gains carnal entree to your device.

One mode of helping to unafraid chats against this is disappearing messages, which allows you to acceptable a play of clip for texts to enactment disposable earlier they are deleted. Messages tin beryllium acceptable to vanish aft 24 hours, 7 days, oregon 90 days aft they’re sent.

Disappearing messages tin beryllium acceptable for each chats oregon for circumstantial conversations. To alteration the diagnostic arsenic default for caller one-to-one chats, spell to Settings > Privacy > Default connection timer and acceptable the clip framework for messages to disappear.

Just support successful caput that the diagnostic requires trust—anyone tin screenshot a message, truthful you can’t warrant that what you’ve sent volition beryllium deleted everyplace each the time.

Two-Factor Authentication Including a Security PIN

WhatsApp needs your telephone fig erstwhile you acceptable up an account, but this tin besides permission it unfastened to assorted information and privateness risks. A diagnostic that volition support your WhatsApp relationship from specified threats specified is simply a information PIN.

The PIN works arsenic two-factor authentication to support your chats from prying eyes. Open WhatsApp Settings. Tap Account > Two-step verification > Turn connected oregon Set up PIN. Enter a PIN of your prime and corroborate it.