WhatsApp rolled out Strict Account Settings, a lockdown-style mode that blocks unknown attachments, disables link previews, and silences unknown callers.

Since the policy has kicked in, developers are forced to send a pre-defined message to users of their AI chatbot on WhatsApp to redirect them to their site or app. Providers like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Microsoft announced last year that their WhatsApp bots would not work after January 15, urging users to access them on other platforms.

WhatsApp is about to introduce a major new capability, it’s reported and it will finally allow users of the WhatsApp web app to take part in voice and video calls. Parent company Meta has other innovations planned, including a feature for iOS users to be able to share their chat history with new group members. More on that below.

WhatsApp Channels is now subject to EU DSA rules as a VLOP, expanding content moderation oversight while encrypted private chats remain unaffected.

WhatsApp is turning the security dial up to its highest setting, introducing a lockdown-style mode aimed at people who face the most aggressive digital threats. The feature, branded Strict Account Settings,

Any warning from Google’s Project Zero threat hunters is taken seriously. This is the team behind many of the zero-day spyware discoveries plaguing Android and iPhone. This threat affects WhatsApp on Android, and relates to zero-click media downloads.

Elon Musk has posted on X (formerly Twitter) that WhatsApp is not safe, as a lawsuit filed in a US court alleges that Meta employees can bypass WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption to read private messages in real-time.

On Monday, Telegram founder Pavel Durov alleged that Meta Platforms, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:META) messaging platform WhatsApp is not secure. His statement came as Meta faces a lawsuit accusing it of misleading users about the privacy of WhatsApp chats.