WhatsApp Restricted Chat, a new per-conversation privacy lock, has started reaching beta testers on both Android and iOS. The headline effect is blunt. When you switch it on for a chat, that conversation stops syncing to your linked devices entirely. WABetaInfo reported the Android rollout on October 2 and the iOS rollout a day later.
Why the linked-device block is the interesting part
The most consequential of the new restrictions is the one aimed at other devices rather than other people. Unofficial WhatsApp clients and third-party AI agents almost always get into conversations by registering themselves as a linked device. Close that door for one chat, and those tools lose their route in.
The block is not selective. WABetaInfo says a restricted conversation becomes unavailable on WhatsApp Web, the desktop apps, tablets and any secondary phone on the account. That is a real tradeoff worth knowing before you enable it. A chat you lock this way becomes a phone-only chat.
The four things Restricted Chat switches off
- Linked devices: the conversation does not appear or sync on WhatsApp Web, desktop, tablets or secondary phones.
- Meta AI: Meta’s assistant cannot be invoked inside that specific chat.
- Chat export: the option to export the conversation and its history is disabled.
- Media auto-save: photos and videos shared in the chat no longer save themselves to your gallery.
Restricted Chat is toggled per conversation rather than account-wide. It also sits on top of Advanced Chat Privacy, WhatsApp’s earlier bundle of per-chat controls, as a separate layer. WABetaInfo says end-to-end encryption is unaffected either way. Messages and calls in a chat stay encrypted whether or not the new feature is active.
How it differs from Chat Lock
The two features are easy to confuse, but they solve different problems. Chat Lock puts a conversation behind an extra authentication step so a person holding your unlocked phone cannot read it. The chat still exists on your linked devices. Restricted Chat does the opposite. It leaves the chat openable on your phone and removes it from everywhere else.
If your concern is someone picking up your phone, Chat Lock is still the tool for the job. If your concern is a browser session or an automated client reading a sensitive thread, Restricted Chat is the one that addresses it.
Builds and rollout timing
The rollout is live in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.39.11 and in the iOS TestFlight beta, version 26.39.10.20. WABetaInfo describes it as reaching only a portion of testers on each platform so far. Wider availability is expected over the following weeks. No region restriction has been noted, so this looks like a global beta.
As of October 4, 2026, no public release date for the stable channel has been announced. WABetaInfo reported the feature in development on September 10, about three weeks before the rollout began. If you want it early, joining the beta is the only route, and even then access is not guaranteed while it reaches only some testers. For context on WhatsApp’s recent run of privacy work, see our coverage of WhatsApp’s scam alert toggle for Android beta testers.
Sources: WABetaInfo (Android), WABetaInfo (iOS), via GSMArena
