How to Use WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on iPhone and Android

WhatsApp promises to offer end-to-end encryption on chats, calls, and voice and video messages. And to keep your chats protected from unwanted access, you can enable Two-Factor Authentication, lock individual and groups chats, etc., on your WhatsApp account.

But now WhatsApp brings all the security options under one feature – Privacy Checkup. This post will explain how to use WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on your iPhone and Android to secure your account. Ensure you are using the latest version of WhatsApp on your mobile device.

What Is WhatsApp Privacy Checkup

With Privacy Checkup, WhatsApp allows you to find all the options to secure your account under one roof. You don’t have to keep searching for different menus in WhatsApp to access a security feature. You can use Privacy Checkup to go through all the important privacy settings for WhatsApp and select the one that’s best for you. You can activate a security feature from the options that suit you best.

How to Start Privacy Checkup on WhatsApp

Now that you have an idea of this feature, let us show how you can start WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on your iPhone and Android phone.

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your iPhone or Android phone.

Step 2: On your iPhone, tap on Settings at the bottom-right corner. On Android, tap the three dots in the top-right corner and select Settings.

Step 3: Tap on Privacy.

Step 4: Tap on Start Checkup under Privacy Checkup.

The Privacy Checkup window will open on your screen.

Step 5: You can tap on Done once you have used all the security features.

WhatsApp Privacy Checkup Features

We will now list all the privacy features available under WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on your iPhone and Android phone.

Choose Who Can Contact You

The first option lets you select which person can contact on WhatsApp. This also includes limiting yourself from being added to WhatsApp Groups and blocking contacts.

1. Groups

You can select whether you want to be added to any WhatsApp Groups by their admins. You can also add exceptions to this rule. However, this won’t be applicable if you have been added to a WhatsApp Community.

2. Silence Unknown Callers

No matter how secure, WhatsApp is still prone to spam calls. You can enable the option of Silence Unknown Callers on your WhatsApp account. They will still be shown in the Calls tab and your WhatsApp notifications.

3. Blocked Contacts

Lastly, you can choose to select specific contacts to be restricted from contacting you in any way on WhatsApp.

Control Your Personal Info

The next option lets you hide your WhatsApp presence from specific contacts. If you want to hide your online activity from a bunch of your contacts, here are three options you get.

1. Profile Photo

You can select your profile photo to be visible to specific contacts on WhatsApp. You can also choose to hide it completely from all your contacts or not hide it at all.

2. Last Seen And Online

You can control who can see your WhatsApp online activity by hiding your last seen. But remember that after enabling this functionality, you won’t be able to see your contact’s last seen.

3. Read Receipts

When you see that double blue tick in your WhatsApp chat, your contact has read your message. Sometimes, you would want to read someone’s message and wait to respond. For that, you can hide your Read Receipts.

Add More Privacy To Your Chats

Some additional privacy features in WhatsApp to limit your access to messages, images, and videos.

1. Default Message Timer

You can use disappearing messages for your WhatsApp chats. These are messages that can be viewed only once by your contact.

2. Show Preview

To prevent others from reading your messages, you can disable the option of showing message previews for WhatsApp.

3. End-to-End Encrypted Backups

You can add end-to-end encryption to your WhatsApp backup so that only you and your contact can read or listen to what is sent. Even WhatsApp will be restricted from accessing your chats.

Add More Protection To Your Account

Lastly, you get two security options to prevent access to the WhatsApp app on your iPhone or Android phone.

1. Screen Lock

You can add a Screen Lock to your WhatsApp account depending on your mobile device. On iPhone, you can use Face ID for WhatsApp. On Android, you can use Fingerprint Lock feature.

2. Two-Step Verification

Add a Two-Step Verification to your WhatsApp account to protect your chats and data if your phone gets stolen. WhatsApp will ask for a six digit PIN to access your chats, and you can provide your email address if you forget your PIN.

Secure Your WhatsApp Completely

You can use all the features under WhatsApp Privacy Checkup to add extra layers of security to your account. You can also read our post to learn how to stop receiving WhatsApp messages without blocking someone.