What Privacy Settings Has WhatsApp Changed in June 2026?

Privacy Settings Has WhatsApp Changed- If you have opened WhatsApp recently and noticed prompts about updated privacy settings, or if you have seen notifications encouraging you to review your account preferences, you are not imagining things. June 2026 has brought a meaningful round of privacy setting changes to WhatsApp that affect how your personal information is shared, how your activity is visible to others, and how the platform interacts with the broader Meta ecosystem of which it forms a part. These changes are significant enough to warrant careful attention, and yet the way they are presented within the app can make it genuinely difficult to understand exactly what has changed and what you need to do in response.

This article explains every relevant change clearly and honestly, walks you through the WhatsApp Settings update that June 2026 has introduced, covers what the new WhatsApp privacy settings mean in practical terms for how you use the app every day, and guides you through the Privacy Checkup WhatsApp process that the platform is now actively encouraging users to complete. Whether you are deeply privacy-conscious or simply want to understand what has changed before deciding whether to act, everything you need is here.

Privacy Settings Has WhatsApp Changed

Why WhatsApp is Updating Privacy Settings in June 2026

Before diving into the specifics of what has changed, it is worth understanding the broader context that has driven these updates. WhatsApp's June 2026 privacy changes do not exist in a vacuum but are the product of a confluence of regulatory pressure, evolving platform policy, and the ongoing tension between Meta's commercial interests and the expectations of a global user base that increasingly demands transparency and control over personal data.

The European Union's Digital Markets Act and the continued enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation have placed sustained pressure on Meta and its platforms, including WhatsApp, to provide users with more granular control over how their data is processed, shared, and used for commercial purposes. The June 2026 updates reflect compliance requirements that have been in negotiation between Meta's legal and policy teams and European regulators for an extended period, and the changes apply globally rather than only in the EU, reflecting a strategic decision by Meta to maintain a single privacy framework rather than operating different systems for different jurisdictions.

Additionally, WhatsApp has been expanding its features significantly in the period leading up to June 2026, including AI-powered tools, enhanced calling features, business messaging integrations, and cross-platform compatibility with other Meta services. Each of these feature expansions has introduced new privacy dimensions that the June 2026 settings update seeks to address explicitly, giving users control over aspects of the platform that did not exist when previous privacy frameworks were established.

Wired has covered the regulatory pressure on Meta's messaging platforms extensively, noting that the June 2026 WhatsApp privacy updates represent the most comprehensive revision of the platform's user-facing privacy controls since the controversial 2021 policy update that prompted millions of users to explore alternative messaging applications.

The Most Important Changes in the WhatsApp Settings Update June 2026

The June 2026 WhatsApp Settings update introduces changes across several distinct areas of the app's privacy framework. Understanding each change individually is the most effective way to assess its impact on your specific usage patterns.

AI Feature Data Usage Controls

One of the most significant new settings introduced in June 2026 relates to WhatsApp's expanding suite of AI-powered features. WhatsApp has introduced AI tools including a conversational assistant, AI-generated stickers, image editing capabilities, and smart message suggestions, all of which require processing of user data to function. The June update introduces explicit controls that allow users to decide whether their interactions with these AI features contribute to Meta's broader AI training datasets.

Previously, the data usage terms for AI features were bundled within the broader WhatsApp terms of service in a way that made it difficult for users to understand precisely what they were agreeing to. The new setting, found within the Privacy section of WhatsApp Settings under AI Features, provides a clear toggle that allows you to opt out of having your AI interactions used for training purposes beyond what is strictly necessary for the feature to function in the moment.

This is a meaningful change for users who have concerns about their conversational data being used to improve Meta's AI models, and it represents a genuine improvement in transparency compared to the previous approach. If you use WhatsApp's AI features regularly, reviewing this setting and making an active choice rather than accepting the default is strongly recommended.

Cross-App Data Sharing with Meta Products

The relationship between WhatsApp and the broader Meta ecosystem, including Facebook and Instagram, has been a source of controversy and regulatory scrutiny since Meta acquired WhatsApp in 2014. The June 2026 settings update introduces a clearer and more granular control over how data from your WhatsApp usage is shared with other Meta products for advertising and personalisation purposes.

The new cross-app data sharing setting, accessible through Privacy in WhatsApp Settings, presents users with a clear explanation of what information is shared between WhatsApp and other Meta platforms, including account information, device identifiers, and certain usage patterns, and provides a mechanism to limit this sharing beyond what is required for essential account functions.

It is important to understand that some data sharing between WhatsApp and Meta is required for the platform to function, including for security purposes, spam prevention, and basic account management. The new setting does not eliminate all cross-app data flows but gives users meaningful control over the portion of that data sharing that is used for advertising and commercial personalisation purposes. For European users in particular, the ability to opt out of commercial data sharing without losing access to the platform is a right that regulators have insisted upon, and the June 2026 update implements it more explicitly than previous versions.

Message Storage and Backup Privacy

WhatsApp's message backup system has long been a privacy concern for users who understand that end-to-end encryption, which protects messages in transit, does not automatically apply to messages stored in cloud backups on Google Drive or iCloud. The June 2026 update introduces a new prompt within the Privacy Checkup WhatsApp flow that explicitly draws users' attention to their backup settings and encourages them to enable end-to-end encrypted backups if they have not already done so.

The end-to-end encrypted backup feature, which was introduced in late 2021, stores your message backup in a format that WhatsApp itself cannot read, meaning that if law enforcement or a third party requests access to your backup from Google or Apple, they receive only encrypted data rather than readable messages. The June 2026 changes make this option more prominently visible and easier to enable, with a dedicated setup flow that walks users through generating an encryption key or password.

For anyone who takes their message privacy seriously, enabling end-to-end encrypted backups is one of the most impactful privacy improvements available within WhatsApp's existing feature set, and the June 2026 update making it more prominent is a genuine benefit to users who were unaware the option existed.

Last Seen and Online Status Controls

WhatsApp has expanded its existing controls over Last Seen and Online Status visibility in the June 2026 update, adding a new tier of visibility control that allows users to share their online status with specific contacts while hiding it from others, without the binary choice between sharing with all contacts or no contacts that the previous system offered.

The new granular control works similarly to the existing controls for profile photo and About information, allowing you to select Everyone, My Contacts, My Contacts Except specific people, or Nobody for each visibility category. The addition of a specific contacts option within this framework is new in June 2026 and provides a level of nuance that many users have been requesting for some time.

This change is particularly relevant for users who want to maintain social boundaries within their WhatsApp contacts without the awkward conversation that removing someone from your contacts would necessitate. Being able to hide your online status from specific individuals while keeping it visible to your close contacts is a straightforward but practically useful addition to the privacy toolkit.

Screenshot Blocking for View Once Messages

WhatsApp's View Once feature, which allows users to send photos and videos that disappear after being viewed, has been strengthened in the June 2026 update with the introduction of screenshot blocking for View Once content on supported devices. This means that when a recipient attempts to take a screenshot of a View Once image or video, the screenshot will either be blocked entirely or will capture only a black screen rather than the actual content.

The implementation varies by device and operating system. On Android devices running recent versions of Android, the screenshot blocking is enforced at the operating system level and is generally effective. On iOS devices, the screenshot block produces a notification to the sender that a screenshot was attempted, rather than technically preventing the capture, due to restrictions on how third-party apps can interact with the iOS screenshot function.

This is a meaningful improvement for users who rely on View Once for sending sensitive content with an expectation of privacy, though it is important to understand that determined recipients can still photograph a screen with a separate device. Screenshot blocking within the app is a deterrent and a signal rather than a technically impenetrable barrier.

The Privacy Checkup WhatsApp Feature: What It Is and How to Use It

The Privacy Checkup WhatsApp feature is not entirely new in June 2026, having been introduced in a more limited form in previous updates, but the June version represents a substantially expanded and more useful version of the tool that is worth working through carefully regardless of whether you have completed a previous version.

The Privacy Checkup is accessible by opening WhatsApp, going to Settings, then Privacy, and selecting Privacy Checkup at the top of the menu. The feature presents a guided walkthrough of your most important privacy settings, organised into thematic sections that address who can see your personal information, how you control communication, how your data is used, and how your account is secured.

The guided format is genuinely helpful because it surfaces settings that many users have never actively configured, having accepted whatever defaults were in place when they first set up their account. WhatsApp's default settings are not always the most privacy-protective options available, and the Privacy Checkup draws your attention to areas where a different choice might better reflect your actual preferences.

Working through the Privacy Checkup takes approximately five to ten minutes if you engage with each section thoughtfully rather than clicking through without reading. The time investment is worthwhile, and making deliberate choices about each setting rather than accepting defaults is significantly more empowering than leaving your privacy configuration to chance.

The sections covered in the June 2026 Privacy Checkup include personal information visibility covering your profile photo, About section, and Last Seen status, communication controls addressing who can add you to groups and who can call you, data and AI controls covering the new June 2026 settings described above, and security settings including two-step verification and end-to-end encrypted backups.

New WhatsApp Privacy Settings: A Complete Reference Guide

For users who want a comprehensive overview of every privacy-relevant setting currently available in WhatsApp following the June 2026 update, here is a structured reference that covers the full range of options and what each one controls.

How to Optimise Your WhatsApp Privacy Settings After the June 2026 Update

Having understood what has changed and what the options available to you are, the practical question is what changes you should actually make to your settings. The honest answer is that the optimal configuration depends on your specific circumstances, relationships, and risk profile, but there are recommendations that apply broadly to most users.

For the vast majority of people, setting Last Seen and Online Status to My Contacts rather than Everyone provides a meaningful privacy improvement without any practical inconvenience. Unless you have a specific reason to be visible to people who are not in your contacts, limiting visibility to people you know is simply sensible.

Enabling two-step verification, if you have not already done so, is the single most impactful security improvement available within WhatsApp's settings. It adds a PIN that must be entered periodically and when registering your phone number on a new device, which makes it significantly more difficult for an attacker to take over your account even if they have temporary access to your SIM card. Go to Settings, then Account, then Two-Step Verification, and follow the setup process. This takes less than two minutes and should be considered essential rather than optional.

Enabling end-to-end encrypted backups, as discussed above, protects your message history against third-party access to your cloud backup. The setup requires you to either generate an encryption key, which you must store safely, or create a password that will be required to restore your backup on a new device. The inconvenience is minimal and the privacy benefit is significant.

On the new June 2026 settings, the choice about AI feature data usage and cross-app data sharing is more personal and reflects your individual comfort level with how Meta uses your information. For users who are privacy-conscious and prefer to limit Meta's use of their data beyond what is strictly necessary, opting out of both AI training data usage and commercial cross-app data sharing is a straightforward decision. For users who are less concerned about this dimension of data usage and value the personalisation that comes from broader data integration, the default settings may be acceptable.

Android Authority has published a detailed guide to WhatsApp's June 2026 privacy settings from a technical perspective, noting that the opt-out mechanisms for AI training data and cross-app sharing are genuine and functional rather than cosmetic, representing a meaningful shift in how Meta presents user control over data within its messaging platform.

WhatsApp Privacy Versus Signal and Other Alternatives

The June 2026 privacy updates inevitably prompt comparisons between WhatsApp and alternative messaging platforms that position themselves more explicitly around privacy as a core design principle. Understanding how WhatsApp's revised settings compare to alternatives helps users make informed decisions about whether the changes are sufficient for their needs or whether a different platform better serves their privacy requirements.

Signal remains the gold standard for private messaging from a technical and philosophical standpoint. Signal collects minimal metadata, stores almost nothing on its servers, has no advertising business model that creates incentives to harvest user data, and its encryption protocol is open source and independently audited. For users whose privacy requirements are driven by specific concerns about government surveillance, corporate data harvesting, or sensitive professional communications, Signal's approach remains significantly more protective than WhatsApp's even after the June 2026 updates.

The practical reality for most users, however, is that the messaging platform they use is largely determined by where their contacts are, and for the vast majority of people in the United Kingdom and globally, their contacts are on WhatsApp. The network effect that makes WhatsApp so dominant also makes switching costly in a social rather than financial sense, because a privacy-focused alternative is only useful if the people you communicate with are also using it.

The June 2026 updates make WhatsApp meaningfully more transparent and give users more genuine control than they previously had, which is a genuine improvement. They do not transform WhatsApp into a privacy-first platform in the way that Signal is, but they narrow the gap in user control and transparency that previously existed.

TechRadar has assessed the June 2026 WhatsApp privacy updates in their comprehensive messaging platform comparison, concluding that the changes represent a significant improvement in user control and transparency but that Signal and similar platforms remain the better choice for users with heightened privacy requirements, while WhatsApp's improved settings make it a more acceptable option for users whose primary concern is the mainstream social messaging use case.

What the June 2026 Changes Mean for Business WhatsApp Users

The June 2026 privacy updates have specific implications for users of WhatsApp Business, the version of the platform used by small businesses and enterprises to communicate with customers. Business accounts operate under a slightly different privacy framework from personal accounts, reflecting the commercial nature of business-to-consumer messaging, and the June updates introduce several changes relevant to this context.

Business accounts are now required to provide more explicit disclosure when they are using automated messaging tools, chatbots, or AI-powered response systems to interact with users. This disclosure requirement means that customers communicating with a business via WhatsApp should be informed when they are not speaking with a human agent, a transparency standard that many users have been calling for as AI-powered customer service has become increasingly prevalent.

The data retention settings for business conversations have also been updated, with clearer controls available to users about how long their conversation data with businesses is retained and how it can be used for commercial purposes. Users can now more easily request deletion of their data from business accounts directly within the WhatsApp interface, reflecting the data subject rights established under GDPR and similar frameworks.

For personal users who communicate with businesses through WhatsApp, understanding that business conversations operate under different privacy rules from personal conversations is important context. Business accounts can share conversation data with their third-party service providers in ways that personal accounts cannot, and the June 2026 updates make this distinction more explicit within the app's privacy documentation.

Keeping Your WhatsApp Account Secure Beyond Privacy Settings

Privacy settings control how your information is shared with others and with Meta's systems, but account security is a related but distinct concern that deserves equal attention. Several security measures are available within WhatsApp that complement the privacy settings updated in June 2026.

Linked Devices management, accessible through Settings then Linked Devices, shows every device currently connected to your WhatsApp account. Reviewing this list regularly and removing any devices you do not recognise or no longer use is a simple but effective security practice. WhatsApp Web sessions that have been left open on shared or public computers, for example, can give anyone with access to those computers full access to your WhatsApp messages.

The Silence Unknown Callers option, found within Privacy settings, prevents your phone from ringing when someone who is not in your contacts attempts to call you via WhatsApp. This is both a privacy and a security measure, reducing your exposure to social engineering attempts that often begin with an unexpected call from an unknown number.

Disappearing Messages, which can be set as a default for all new conversations through Privacy settings, automatically delete messages after a set period ranging from 24 hours to 90 days. This reduces the long-term retention of sensitive conversation content without requiring you to manually delete messages, and it applies to both sides of a conversation regardless of the other person's settings.

FAQ: The Most Searched Questions About WhatsApp Privacy Settings June 2026

What has WhatsApp changed in its privacy settings in June 2026?

The June 2026 WhatsApp privacy update introduces new controls for AI feature data usage, clearer cross-app data sharing options with other Meta products, expanded online status visibility controls, strengthened View Once screenshot protection, and a more comprehensive Privacy Checkup tool. The update also makes end-to-end encrypted backups more prominently accessible.

How do I access the Privacy Checkup on WhatsApp?

Open WhatsApp, go to Settings, then Privacy, and select Privacy Checkup at the top of the menu. The feature guides you through your most important privacy settings in a structured walkthrough that covers personal information visibility, communication controls, data usage, and account security.

Can I stop WhatsApp from sharing my data with Facebook and Instagram?

The June 2026 update provides a setting to limit cross-app data sharing with other Meta products for commercial and advertising purposes. Some data sharing remains necessary for core account functions including security and spam prevention. The setting is found in Settings, then Privacy, under Meta Products.

What is the new AI features data setting in WhatsApp?

WhatsApp's June 2026 update introduces a setting that allows users to opt out of having their interactions with AI features used to train Meta's broader AI models. This is found in Settings, then Privacy, under AI Features. Opting out means your AI interactions are processed only as necessary for the feature to function and not retained for training purposes.

Has WhatsApp changed its Last Seen and Online settings?

Yes. The June 2026 update expands the Online Status visibility control to include a My Contacts Except option, allowing users to hide their online status from specific contacts while keeping it visible to others. This mirrors the granular controls already available for profile photo and Last Seen settings.

Is WhatsApp end-to-end encrypted after the June 2026 changes?

WhatsApp's core messaging encryption has not changed. Messages sent and received through WhatsApp continue to be end-to-end encrypted by default. The June 2026 changes address other dimensions of privacy including data usage, AI features, and backup encryption rather than the core messaging encryption protocol.

What is end-to-end encrypted backup and should I enable it?

End-to-end encrypted backup stores your WhatsApp message history in your cloud backup in an encrypted format that neither WhatsApp nor the cloud provider can read. Enabling it means that even if your cloud backup is accessed by a third party, your messages remain unreadable without your encryption key or password. The June 2026 update makes this option more prominently accessible and is strongly recommended for users who take message privacy seriously.

Does the WhatsApp June 2026 update affect business accounts differently?

Yes. Business WhatsApp accounts are now required to disclose when automated systems or AI are being used in conversations with customers. Data retention controls for business conversations have also been updated to give users clearer options for requesting deletion of their conversation data with business accounts.

Should I switch from WhatsApp to Signal after the June 2026 changes?

This depends on your specific privacy requirements and the practical consideration of where your contacts are. Signal offers a more privacy-protective approach by design, but WhatsApp's June 2026 changes meaningfully improve user control and transparency. For most everyday communication purposes, WhatsApp with carefully configured settings is adequate. For users with heightened privacy needs or sensitive professional communications, Signal remains the more protective option.

How do I enable two-step verification on WhatsApp?

Go to Settings, then Account, then Two-Step Verification, and select Enable. You will be prompted to create a six-digit PIN and optionally add an email address for recovery purposes. Two-step verification is one of the most important security measures available and should be enabled by all WhatsApp users regardless of their other privacy settings.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your WhatsApp Privacy in June 2026

The June 2026 WhatsApp Settings update represents a genuine step forward in how the platform presents privacy controls to its users. The new AI feature data settings, the clearer cross-app data sharing controls, the expanded online status visibility options, and the more prominent accessibility of end-to-end encrypted backups all give users more meaningful choices than they had before. Whether those choices are sufficient depends on individual privacy expectations, but the direction of travel is clearly positive.

The most important thing you can do in response to these changes is not to read about them passively but to actually open WhatsApp and work through the Privacy Checkup WhatsApp feature. Reading about privacy settings is useful, but configuring them is what actually changes your privacy experience. The checkup takes less than ten minutes and the result is an account whose privacy configuration reflects your actual preferences rather than whatever defaults were in place when you first installed the app.

The new WhatsApp privacy settings of June 2026 are meaningful, but they require active engagement to benefit from. Set your Last Seen and Online Status thoughtfully, enable two-step verification if you have not already, consider enabling end-to-end encrypted backups, make a deliberate choice about AI data usage and cross-app sharing, and review your linked devices. These steps together constitute a privacy configuration that is substantially more protective than the default state, and completing them takes less time than reading this article has.

Your data is yours. The June 2026 update gives you more tools than before to manage it on your own terms. Use them.