Protect yourself and your communications when using WhatsApp

Actualizado 29 July 2025

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    • Read this guide to learn how to use WhatsApp more safely and how to secure your account.

    Also see our guides on Facebook and Instagram to increase your privacy and security when using other platforms belonging to Meta.

    Consider if relying on commercial, corporate products is safe enough to exchange sensitive information. Commercial corporations might not share your values even if they promise to secure your communications – they might be able to access information on you, your contacts network and the contents you exchange (even if encrypted), use it for commercial purposes and even hand it over to authorities in case they receive an official request.

    Inform yourself about WhatsApp's policies

    Learn how WhatsApp uses your information

    Learn why we recommend this

    It is often unclear what online service providers will do with your data and communications. Are they combined with other information to guess things about you? Are they sold to other companies that may share them even if you did not want them to be shared? Read their terms of service and privacy policy to find out.

    You can also install the add-on/extension of Terms of Service; Didn't Read in your browser to see an overview of the terms of service for each commercial online service provider you use.

    Learn what WhatsApp will turn over to governments or law enforcement

    Learn why we recommend this

    Online service providers may give your information, including information you were trying to keep private, to governments or law enforcement agencies if requested to do so. Look through the links in this section to learn more about the conditions under which WhatsApp and Meta have provided or will provide such information.

    Create a new account

    Consider registering with an alternative phone number

    Learn why we recommend this

    Your phone number may be connected to your official identity. You may not want to connect it to your messaging apps, especially if you would like to be found only by selected people or use this communication channel for sensitive activities that should not be traced back to your name and surname.

    Protect your account

    Check your phone number and recovery email

    • View your current number in Settings > your profile.
    • Check your recovery email in Settings > Account > Email Address.
    • Change this information immediately if you lose access to your phone number or recovery email address.
    • WhatsApp accounts are tied to phone numbers. If you use a number that someone else had been using in the past, their account information (like name and profile picture) may still be in WhatsApp's system. This does not mean they have access to your account.
    Learn why we recommend this

    By connecting your WhatsApp account to an email address, you will have a way of recovering your account in case of authentication issues. It's important to check this information to be sure that an attacker has not changed it to gain control of your account later. Make sure to also secure your recovery email and phone number, as an adversary may hack into them to get access to your account.

    Set up two-step verification

    Learn why we recommend this

    See our guide on two-factor authentication for more on why and how to set up two-step verification, sometimes known as multi-factor authentication, 2FA or MFA.

    Use WhatsApp more safely

    This section contains recommendations on how to use WhatsApp more safely. Also make sure to read our guide on how to use messaging apps more securely.

    Consider connecting through a browser when possible

    • Consider using the mobile app only to set up your account and then accessing WhatsApp through a web browser on your computer.
    Learn why we recommend this

    Having an app that can constantly gather information on you can violate your privacy in many different ways even though you deny it permissions to access your geolocation, microphone, etc. By accessing WhatsApp through a browser on your computer, you can make sure that Meta is not constantly gathering data from a mobile device that you take with you everywhere you go.

    This choice will also allow you to take breaks from your messaging apps, which can be a valuable self-care practice.

    Consider denying the app permission to access your contacts

    Learn why we recommend this

    Messaging apps and social media often ensure they will gain in popularity by using the contact lists in your devices to find and recommend more people you might want to connect to. This can have dangerous effects when you want to keep your contacts hidden from others. Consider whether law enforcement in your area might use these contact lists to build a case against you and your colleagues if they confiscated your device or accessed your account. If these are concerns for you, limit apps permissions to use your contacts.

    Consider denying the app other permissions

    • Consider denying the WhatsApp app permission to access your device's location, camera, microphone, storage (photos and videos) and phone (to make calls).

    Know how to move your data out of WhatsApp

    Learn why we recommend this

    Before you store data on a large commercial platform, it is always a good idea to understand what it will take to move your data out in case you change your mind and want to migrate to a different service. It is also important to consider that in some cases it may take a long time for your data to be completely deleted from the servers of a large platform.

    Back up your chat and protect the backup through end-to-end encryption

    Learn why we recommend this

    WhatsApp does not back up your chats by default, but if you have an iPhone and have device backups turned on, your WhatsApp chat history will be included automatically in device backups. If you prefer not to back up your conversations, in this section you can find a link to disable automatic WhatsApp backups in your iOS device.

    If, on the other hand, you prefer to regularly back up your conversations, make sure to enable end-to-end encryption, as otherwise all your chats will be stored unencrypted in your Google or iCloud account.

    Precautions when using a public or shared device

    • Avoid logging in to your WhatsApp account from shared devices (like an internet cafe or other people's devices).
    • Never save your passwords and delete your browsing history when you use a web browser on a public machine. Change the passwords of any accounts you accessed from shared devices as soon as you can, using your own device.

    Secure your WhatsApp communications

    Verify your contacts' identities

    • Try to always verify your contacts' identities through a second safer channel, for example face to face, or through an encrypted email.

    Verify that your communications are protected through end-to-end encryption

    Learn why we recommend this

    WhatsApp protects messages, calls, voice messages, shared media and files, live location and status updates through end-to-end encryption by default.

    However, it's always a good practice to verify your security code with your interlocutors – especially if you are exchanging sensitive information. By enabling notifications to be informed about a security code change, you will also be warned if someone tries to intercept your messages or calls by hacking into someone's account.

    Learn why we recommend this

    When you send links to others, WhatsApp generates a preview of the linked web page by default. Although your messages are protected by end-to-end encryption, this feature may leak your IP address, device and app version, as well as the exact URL you have typed in or received — which may give insight on the content of your conversation. To protect this information, we strongly recommend following the instructions linked in this section to disable link previews.

    Set messages to automatically disappear or delete your chat history regularly

    Learn why we recommend this

    By default, chat apps keep a record of everything you and your contacts have written, said in voice messages or shared. Use the disappearing messages option to limit the amount of information WhatsApp stores on your phone.

    Lock sensitive chats

    Enable advanced chat privacy for sensitive conversations

    Protect your IP address on WhatsApp calls

    Learn why we recommend this

    Apps that allow for 1:1 voice and video calls establish a direct connection between participants' devices to achieve a better call quality. This means that devices used for 1:1 voice and video calls need to exchange their IP addresses so that the call data can be delivered. But your IP address may reveal information like your broad geographical location or internet provider.

    By enabling the feature that protects your IP address during 1:1 calls, all your calls will be relayed through WhatsApp’s servers, so the person you are talking to cannot see your IP address.

    Note that your calls are end-to-end encrypted, so WhatsApp cannot listen to them even if they go through WhatsApp's servers. Also, all group calls go through WhatsApp's servers, so your IP address is always protected when you talk to more than one person.

    Silence Unknown Callers

    Learn why we recommend this

    By default, anyone who has your phone number can call you on WhatsApp. By silencing calls from unknown callers, you limit calls to your chosen contacts. This will not only limit distractions, but also stop attempts at exploiting potential vulnerabilities that might otherwise succeed even if you don't accept the call.

    Decide what information to share

    Consider what information you should avoid sharing

    Information that should never be shared with others online, even in chats with single individuals, may be, for example:

    • Passwords
    • Personally identifying information, including:
      • your birthday,
      • government or other ID numbers,
      • medical records,
      • education and employment history (these can be used by untrustworthy people who want to gain your confidence.)
    • Information that may lead to understand where you live, for example a picture of your house.

    Information that you might not want to share with others, depending on your assessment of the threats you are facing, is, for example, details about family members, information on your sexual orientation or activities and your email address (at least consider having more and less sensitive email accounts).

    • Even if you trust the people in your networks, remember it is easy for someone to copy your information and spread it more widely than you want it to be.
    • Agree with your network on what you do and do not want shared, for safety reasons.
    • Think about what you may be revealing about your friends that they may not want other people to know; be sensitive about this, and ask them to be sensitive regarding what they reveal on you.
    Learn why we recommend this

    The more information about yourself you reveal online, the easier it becomes for others to identify you and monitor your activities. For example, if you share a link to a web page that opposes some position taken by your government, agents of that government might very well take an interest and target you for additional surveillance or direct persecution. This can have consequences for anybody, across different regions. The family of an activist who has left their home country, for example, may be targeted by the authorities in their homeland because of things that activist has made publicly accessible online.

    Don’t share your location

    Learn why we recommend this

    If you are worried about someone finding you and about location tracking, stop your account from sharing your location information. If you stop sharing your live location, you will also make your battery charge last longer.

    Share photos and videos more safely

    Learn why we recommend this

    What you share could put yourself or others at risk. Get in the habit of seeking consent before posting about others, where possible. You may want to work with your contacts to set guidelines for what you will and won't share publicly, under what conditions.

    Photos and videos can reveal a lot of information unintentionally, particularly what is in the background. Many cameras also embed hidden data (metadata or EXIF tags) about the location, date and time the photo or video was recorded, stored, etc. This data, which may also be included in other kinds of files like PDFs, will be available to any of your WhatsApp contacts you share files or compressed folders with.

    Decide who can see your details or contact you

    Limit who can see your details

    Limit who can contact you

    Learn why we recommend this

    Limiting who can contact you can lessen the likelihood that you will be found when you are trying to be private, or targeted by people trying to falsely gain your trust or the trust of your network. This can also be useful if you are being harassed through messages or calls – controlling who can send you messages or call you can help lower your stress levels.

    Think about group membership and who you connect with

    Learn why we recommend this

    When you join or start a community or group online you are revealing something about you to others. People may assume that you support or agree with what the group is saying or doing, which could make you vulnerable if you are seen to align yourself with particular political groups, for example. In some countries, connections on social media to individuals or groups have been used in court to make a case against someone, even when the connection was only loose.

    If you join a large group with members that you don't know, be aware that adversaries might also join groups or make connections to identify you or your colleagues, get a better view of what you are doing, or even build false trust. If you suspect this is likely to happen, it is important to choose connections and post selectively when you make an account connected to your work.

    Manage advertising

    Protect your groups

    This section includes recommendations on how to secure your WhatsApp groups. Also read our tips on using group chats more safely in the guide on messaging apps.

    Invite only people you know and trust

    Learn why we recommend this

    WhatsApp groups can be targeted by trolls who want to disrupt their conversations or may be joined by someone who wants to surveil its members activities. To reduce this risk, be careful not to share the invite link publicly. If your group deals with sensitive topics and is particularly at risk, make sure to have your admins review every join request before someone becomes a part of the group.

    When setting up a group also consider: what are members communicating about themselves by joining this group? For example, if it is an LGBTQI support group, will that affiliation bring dangers for members in your region? Consider the impact of visibility in your current moment. There may be times when it is valuable for your movement to be visible, and even at that moment people who want your support might need a way to connect with your group without being identified. Think strategically about the platforms where you create your groups, what you name them (would a coded name help, as it did the Mattachine Society or the Daughters of Bilitis gay and lesbian organizations in the 1950s?), and whether they are public or private.

    Select a few trusted admins

    Learn why we recommend this

    When managing a group, especially a large one, moderating conversations and enforcing your community's guidelines can be particularly overwhelming. By giving admin rights to a few people you trust, you can create a more collaborative environment, reducing your stress level and ensuring a smoother communication within the group. Also, if a group is managed by more than one admin, you can rely on other people in case your account is blocked or you are unable to moderate or manage the group for other reasons.

    Assign some privileges only to admins

    Moderate the conversation

    Improve the group's privacy

    • Enable advanced chat privacy for your groups. See the relevant section in the support page on advanced chat privacy to learn how.
    • Set messages in your groups, or at least in the most sensitive ones, to disappear after a certain amount of time.
      • Learn more about disappearing messages in WhatsApp.
      • Consider that anyone in a group chat can keep a message to stop it from disappearing as long as the set duration time hasn't passed. However, if the sender unkeeps that message, no one else in the chat can keep it again.
    • Disable media forwarding to stop members from forwarding content that has been posted to the group. You will find this option in the group permissions.

    Check suspicious access

    Check active sessions and authorized devices, review account activity and security events

    Learn why we recommend this

    Your adversaries may find ways to log in to your account from their devices. If they do so, it is possible you will be able to see this from the Linked devices section of your WhatsApp app.

    Don't connect WhatsApp to other Meta accounts

    • Avoid adding WhatsApp to the Accounts Center connected to other Meta accounts like Facebook or Instagram. While it may be convenient to cross-post your status, or log in to multiple apps with the same account, you may be also making it easier for attackers to exploit this functionality.
    Learn why we recommend this

    Most online service providers allow you to integrate information with other services. For example, you can post your status on WhatsApp and have it automatically posted on your Facebook account as well. When other sites and apps have access, they can also be used by hackers to get into your online accounts.

    If you think your account has been hacked or if your device is lost or stolen

    Handle abuse

    This section explains how to ask WhatsApp for assistance in situations of abuse, harassment, attacks and impersonation. If you are a human rights defender, journalist or activist at risk and WhatsApp is not assisting you effectively, you can reach out to Access Now Digital Security Helpline or Front Line Defenders to request assistance in working with Meta. Also see the Digital First Aid Kit support page to look for help desks that may support you for specific needs.

    Report abuse

    Learn why we recommend this

    Commercial messaging apps have unfortunately become a favorite method of harassment and disinformation worldwide. If you see malicious impersonation, hate speech or disinformation being spread, or if you or your contacts are being targeted and harassed, you may find help by following WhatsApp's reporting procedures. Review the processes for reporting in the support pages linked in this section.

    Identify and report coordinated inauthentic activity (botnets and spam)

    Learn why we recommend this

    Some harassment and disinformation is posted through automated means, rather than by individuals. If you suspect that you are seeing this "coordinated inauthentic activity," you can report it to the platform that is hosting this content and they may ban those automated systems. While automation can be hard to prove, there are some cases in which reporting coordinated inauthentic activity might be more successful than reporting harassment, if you suspect the online platform will not understand the context of the harassment.

    Protect yourself from scams and suspicious messages

    Learn why we recommend this

    Besides chat and voice messages, images and videos, most messaging apps also make it possible to share files up to a certain size. When receiving an unexpected file or a suspicious link, it's best to pause and remember that many cases of malware and spyware infection happen by clicking a link or downloading a file that runs unwanted, malicious code.

    Learn how to recover your account if it is disabled or suspended

    Learn why we recommend this

    For one reason or another, WhatsApp may suspend, and eventually disable, your account. Human rights defenders have sometimes had their accounts shut down, for example because they were documenting human rights abuses with violent scenes that violated the platform's policies, because they had been reported by a government, by the police or by people who disagreed with them, or even because WhatsApp did not understand their context well enough to make sense of what they were posting. If this happens to you, you can appeal the decision and ask to have your account restored. Review the instructions linked in this section for information on how to do this.

    Take a break from your account

    • WhatsApp does not support suspension or auto-response, but consider backing up your messages securely and deleting the app from your phone if you will still have access to the same phone number. You can also just let people know you will be away by putting a note in your status message.
    Learn why we recommend this

    Deleting WhatsApp from your phone will protect you or somebody who could get hold of your phone from seeing the new messages. This may be useful also if you are facing harassment, defamation or detention.

    Further reading