How to Use WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on iPhone and Android
Use WhatsApp Privacy Checkup to control who can contact you, limit personal information, protect chats, and strengthen account security.
WhatsApp’s Privacy Checkup brings important privacy and security controls into one guided screen. Instead of searching through several menus, you can review who may contact you, what personal information others can see, how private your chats are, and which protections are enabled for your account.
This guide shows how to open WhatsApp Privacy Checkup on iPhone and Android, what each section means, and which choices deserve your attention. Available options can vary slightly by app version and device.
How to open WhatsApp Privacy Checkup
On Android
- Open WhatsApp.
- Tap the three-dot More options menu.
- Tap Settings, then Privacy.
- Select Privacy Checkup or Start checkup.
On iPhone
- Open WhatsApp.
- Tap Settings at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Privacy.
- Select Privacy Checkup or Start checkup.
WhatsApp organizes the checkup into four areas: Choose who can contact you, Control your personal info, Add more privacy to your chats, and Add more protection to your account. Open every section rather than assuming the default choices suit you.
1. Choose who can contact you
This section helps reduce unwanted calls, messages, and group invitations. The exact controls shown may change as WhatsApp updates the app, but you should review these areas:
- Groups: Decide who can add you directly to groups. A contacts-based setting can reduce invitations from unknown accounts.
- Silence unknown callers: When available, this can prevent calls from unfamiliar numbers from ringing, while still leaving them visible in your call list.
- Blocked contacts: Review the list and block an account when you no longer want it to call or message you.
Be cautious when an unknown person creates urgency, requests a verification code, or asks you to move money. Privacy settings can reduce interruptions, but they cannot determine whether a message is honest.
2. Control your personal information
This part controls which people can see details connected to your account. Review each item based on what you actually want to share:
- Last seen and online: Limit who can see when you last used WhatsApp or whether you are currently online.
- Profile photo: Consider limiting it to your contacts if you do not want unknown numbers to see your picture.
- About and status: Check the audience for your profile text and Status updates.
- Read receipts: Decide whether you want individual chats to show when messages have been read. Turning this off also affects what you can see from others, with some exceptions such as group chats.
A practical starting point is to make personal details visible only to contacts, then use exclusions for people who should not see them. Check your Status audience separately before posting something personal.
3. Add more privacy to your chats
This section focuses on the information inside conversations. Depending on your version of WhatsApp, it may offer controls related to disappearing messages, backups, link previews, or other chat protections.
Review disappearing-message defaults
A default message timer can make new individual chats disappear after a selected period. It does not make a conversation impossible to save: another participant can still copy, forward, photograph, or capture content while it is visible. Use it as a housekeeping tool, not as a guarantee that a message can never be retained.
Check backup protection
If the checkup links to chat-backup settings, read the prompts carefully before changing them. Keep recovery information somewhere safe and never share a password, encryption key, or verification code with another person.
Protect particularly sensitive conversations
WhatsApp may offer Chat Lock for selected chats. Locked chats use an additional layer of device authentication, such as a phone passcode, fingerprint, Face ID, or a secret code. This is helpful when other people sometimes handle your unlocked phone.
4. Add more protection to your account
This is the most important section for preventing someone else from registering or opening your WhatsApp account.
Enable two-step verification
Two-step verification adds a PIN that WhatsApp can request when your phone number is registered again. Choose a PIN you can remember but that other people cannot guess. Add a recovery email address you control, and keep it up to date.
Use a screen or app lock
Enable the biometric or device-lock option offered by WhatsApp, and keep a secure passcode on the phone itself. This adds protection if someone gets temporary physical access to your device.
Never share registration codes
A legitimate support representative or contact should not ask you to send them your six-digit registration code or two-step verification PIN. Treat an unexpected code as a warning that someone may be trying to register your number.
A sensible WhatsApp privacy setup for most people
There is no single configuration that fits everyone, but this checklist offers a balanced starting point:
- Limit group additions and personal profile details to people you know.
- Silence calls from unknown numbers if unsolicited calls are a recurring problem.
- Review the audience before each sensitive Status update.
- Enable two-step verification and add a current recovery email.
- Use the phone’s secure screen lock and WhatsApp’s available app-lock control.
- Review linked devices and remove any session you do not recognize.
- Repeat Privacy Checkup after major WhatsApp updates or whenever your sharing needs change.
If you also lend your phone to other people, Android users can add another temporary barrier by learning how to pin one app before handing over the phone.
What Privacy Checkup does not do
Privacy Checkup helps configure your account, but it does not inspect every message for scams, undo information already shared, or stop a recipient from saving content they can view. It also does not replace software updates, a strong device passcode, or careful review of linked devices.
For a stronger routine, keep WhatsApp and your phone’s operating system updated through their official app stores, avoid unofficial WhatsApp versions, and verify unusual requests through another trusted contact method.
Frequently asked questions
Why can’t I find Privacy Checkup in WhatsApp?
Update WhatsApp from the Apple App Store or Google Play, restart the app, and look under Settings > Privacy. Feature names and rollout timing can differ by platform and version.
Does WhatsApp Privacy Checkup change settings automatically?
No. It guides you through available controls, but you choose the audience and security options. Open every section and confirm each setting rather than simply closing the checkup.
Should I set everything to “Nobody”?
Not necessarily. Very restrictive settings may remove useful context for friends, family, or colleagues. Choose the smallest appropriate audience for each item—often contacts or selected contacts—based on how you use WhatsApp.
Can Privacy Checkup stop all spam?
No. It can reduce unwanted contact through group, call, and blocking controls, but some unsolicited messages may still arrive. Block and report suspicious accounts, and do not share codes or personal information.
Conclusion
To use WhatsApp Privacy Checkup, open Settings > Privacy and work through all four sections. Prioritize who can contact you, who can see personal details, chat-level privacy, and two-step verification. A five-minute review can make your everyday settings more deliberate, but good account security still depends on protecting verification codes, linked devices, and your phone itself.
Instructions verified against the official WhatsApp Privacy Checkup guide and WhatsApp account security guidance. Featured photo by Dan Nelson on Unsplash.
