Has WhatsApp started showing your latest photo every time you open a chat? That’s a new feature called Recent media suggestions, now rolling out on Android and iPhone. It offers to send the newest photo or video in your gallery, whatever it happens to be. You can turn it off in Settings > Chats.
What WhatsApp Recent media suggestions does
When you open a conversation, WhatsApp looks at the single most recent item in your phone’s gallery. It then offers that item as something to send. According to WABetaInfo, which spotted the rollout, the feature doesn’t filter by type or source. Camera photos count, and so do screenshots, images saved from the web and videos saved from other apps.
You’ll see the suggestion in one of two layouts, not both. Some users get a small banner above the chat bar with a thumbnail, a prompt to send it and a close button. Others see the camera icon in the chat bar swapped out for the thumbnail for a while.
Tapping either one doesn’t send anything by itself. Instead, it opens WhatsApp’s drawing editor. There you can review the image, add a caption or sticker, or back out. The idea builds on WhatsApp’s sticker suggestions, which pop up above the keyboard when you type an emoji.
Why you might want it off
The feature switches itself on once it reaches your account. That matters because the thumbnail appears on screen without you asking for it. Your most recent screenshot might be a bank balance, a boarding pass or a private conversation. That preview can show up in any chat you open, including when someone else is looking at your screen.
The editor step makes a mistaken send unlikely. Still, a preview of your newest file in every chat is a poor default for a messaging app. We think it should have been opt-in.
How to turn off Recent media suggestions
- Open WhatsApp.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Chats.
- Switch off Recent media suggestions.
Once the toggle is off, WABetaInfo says the suggestions stop showing in your chats for good.
If you don’t see the option
The rollout is gradual. WhatsApp is enabling it for some users on the latest Android and iOS builds, with more accounts getting it over the coming weeks. It hasn’t said when everyone will have it.
If the toggle isn’t in Settings > Chats yet, the feature likely hasn’t reached your account. Since it’s arriving on the newest versions, update WhatsApp from the Play Store or App Store first. Then check the Chats screen again. If the option still isn’t there, look again after future updates. The feature turns itself on when it arrives, so it’s worth checking.
As of November 4, WhatsApp hasn’t announced the feature on its blog. Everything here comes from WABetaInfo’s reports from users who already have it. The exact menu wording could change as the rollout widens.
WhatsApp has been adding a lot to chats lately, including scheduled messages in beta. If privacy is your main concern, its Restricted Chat feature is worth a look as well.
Source: WABetaInfo
This post was written with AI assistance from public sources and published under the editorial responsibility of AndroidPure’s editor. How we work.
