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WhatsApp Restricted Chat: what it blocks on WhatsApp Web

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Restricted Chat is a per-chat setting WhatsApp is testing in beta on Android (2.26.36.4) and iPhone (26.39.10.20). It builds on Advanced Chat Privacy, which has been available to everyone since April 2025. You switch it on from the chat info screen, and WhatsApp posts a notice in the chat when you do.

The four limits

With Restricted Chat on, people in that chat can't:

  1. automatically save the chat's media to their device,
  2. export the chat,
  3. use Meta AI features in the chat,
  4. open the chat on linked devices.

WhatsApp gives the reason for the last one directly: it "helps to prevent people in the chat from using unofficial clients or AI agents to access it." Messages and calls stay end-to-end encrypted either way. The setting only changes what people can do with the content.

How it differs from Advanced Chat Privacy

Advanced Chat Privacy covers the first three limits: no export, no media auto-download and no messages used for AI features. Restricted Chat adds the linked-device block. That fourth limit is the one that matters if you work from a computer.

What this means on WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is a linked device. So is the WhatsApp desktop app. Once someone in a chat turns Restricted Chat on, you'll only be able to read that chat on your phone, even if your laptop is open on web.whatsapp.com.

Expect these knock-on effects for a restricted chat:

  • You can't read or reply to it on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.
  • You can't export it from any device, so make a copy before you turn the setting on.
  • Browser extensions for WhatsApp Web, ours included, can't see it. WA Folders reads the chat list and messages that WhatsApp Web shows on the page. If WhatsApp Web doesn't load a chat, WA Folders can't file it, search it or export it.

We haven't had the beta on our own test account yet, so we can't show you how WhatsApp Web displays a restricted chat. It might hide the chat or show a placeholder. We'll update this post when the feature reaches a version we can test.

When to use it

Restricted Chat suits a chat where the content must stay on phones, like a support group or a family thread about health or money. Leave it off for chats you handle at a desk, like work groups, customer chats or anything you need to export later.

FAQ

Can I turn on Restricted Chat now?

Only if you're in the WhatsApp beta on Android or iPhone and the feature has reached your account. There's no way to switch it on manually, and WhatsApp hasn't given a date for the public release.

Does Restricted Chat stop screenshots?

Not according to the limits WhatsApp lists. It blocks media auto-save, export, Meta AI and linked devices, and says nothing about screenshots.

Will a restricted chat show up on WhatsApp Web?

The linked-device block means you can't use the chat on WhatsApp Web. Until we can test it ourselves, we can't tell you whether Web hides the chat or shows a placeholder.

Can WA Folders export a restricted chat?

No. Restricted Chat blocks export, and WhatsApp Web can't open the chat anyway. Export a chat before anyone turns the setting on if you need a copy.

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