WhatsApp privacy settings for work: the ones to change, and what an AI assistant can see

You give your number to a new supplier, and an hour later you're in three groups you never asked to join. A client notices you were "online" at 11pm and asks why you haven't replied. Someone forwards your profile photo to a group you've never heard of. When WhatsApp is where you work, its defaults share more with strangers than most people realise.

The WhatsApp privacy settings for work that matter most are: who can add you to groups (set it to My contacts), who sees your last seen, online status and profile photo, your read receipts, Chat Lock for sensitive chats, two-step verification, and a regular check of Linked devices. Most live under Settings → Privacy, and WhatsApp's Privacy checkup walks through them in one go. If you use an AI assistant linked to your WhatsApp, a few of these settings also decide what it can and can't read.

WhatsApp privacy settings for work: defaults and what to change

Out of the box, as of November 2026:

Change any of them in Settings → Privacy, where most options are Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except… or Nobody. On Android, Settings is in the three-dot menu at the top.

Who can add you to groups

This is the setting to change first if your number is on invoices, listings or a website. By default anyone with your number can add you to a group without asking.

Go to Settings → Privacy → Groups and choose My contacts or My contacts except…. Anyone else who tries to add you is asked to send you a private invite instead, and you get three days to accept it. This has to be changed on your phone; WhatsApp Web and the desktop app can't change it.

It doesn't stop group invite links, which you can always choose to join, and it doesn't apply to community announcements: join a community and you're always in its announcement group.

Last seen, online and profile photo

Last seen and online tells people when you last used WhatsApp and whether you're on it now. For work, that's the setting behind "I can see you're online, why haven't you replied?". Set it under Settings → Privacy → Last seen and online. If you hide your own last seen, you can't see other people's either, and anyone in a chat with you while you're online can still see when you're typing.

Profile photo defaults to Everyone, which includes anyone who has your number. Set it to My contacts unless you want strangers to put a face to it.

Read receipts

Blue ticks tell people you've read their message. Turning them off (Settings → Privacy → Read receipts) gives you room to read now and reply later without the pressure.

Know the trade-offs: you lose other people's read receipts too, and the setting doesn't cover group chats or voice notes. Your blue ticks in groups and the "played" mark on voice notes still show.

Chat Lock for sensitive chats

Chat Lock hides a chat in a separate Locked chats folder that opens only with your fingerprint, face, phone passcode or a secret code. Notifications from locked chats hide the name and the message. It suits HR, legal or banking chats on a phone other people pick up.

To lock a chat, press and hold it and tap Lock chat. The other person isn't told. You can also hide the Locked chats folder so it only appears when you type your secret code in the search bar. Write that code down: if you forget it, the only way back in is to clear those chats from Settings → Privacy → Chat lock, which deletes their messages.

Restricted chat (rolling out)

Restricted chat is new, and as of November 2026 it's still rolling out. WhatsApp is replacing the older Advanced chat privacy with it on the latest version of the app, so you may not see it yet. When it's on, people in that chat can't automatically save its media, export it, use Meta AI in it, or use linked devices for it. WhatsApp says the point is to stop unofficial clients and AI agents being used in the chat.

In a one-to-one chat either person can turn it on; in a group, admins can. It's only available from your phone. Bear in mind what it blocks: linked devices include WhatsApp Web and the desktop app, so a restricted chat won't work on your computer either. WhatsApp also notes that people on older versions of the app may still be able to use unofficial clients, and you aren't told who those are. Perisclaw is a linked device too, but don't rely on this setting to keep it out while it's rolling out: block that chat in Perisclaw's settings as well.

Disappearing messages

Messages can be set to disappear 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days after they're sent. Either person can turn it on in a one-to-one chat; in groups, admins can limit who changes it. Settings → Privacy → Default message timer applies it to every new one-to-one chat.

For work it cuts both ways: old chatter stops piling up, but the quote and the agreed price disappear too. People in the chat can "keep" a message, and a backup taken before a message disappears still includes it, so treat it as tidiness, not secrecy.

Two-step verification and linked devices

These two protect the account itself.

• Two-step verification: go to Settings → Account → Two-step verification, turn it on, create a password and add an email you can access. WhatsApp is moving from the old 6-digit PIN to a password. It makes it much harder for someone who gets hold of your SMS code to take over your number.

• Linked devices: every computer, tablet or app linked to your account is listed under Linked devices. Check it monthly, tap anything you don't recognise and choose Log out. On a shared computer, untick Stay logged in on this browser before scanning the QR code on WhatsApp Web. WhatsApp can't tell you who accessed your account, so removing devices you don't recognise is the fix.

What an AI assistant like Perisclaw can and can't see

An assistant that works inside your WhatsApp is a linked device too, and shows up in that list. Perisclaw is Your Executive Assistant on WhatsApp: it connects to the number you already use through Linked devices, the same way WhatsApp Web does, and reads your chats so it can track promises, summarise groups and draft replies. These are the things it can't see:

• Chats you block: in Perisclaw's Settings → Permissions, search for a chat under Blocked chats and block it, or say "never read the family group" in your self-chat. It can't read, search, summarise or quote a blocked chat.

• Chats you lock with Chat Lock: a chat you lock in WhatsApp is blocked from Perisclaw automatically, and taking the lock off restores access. While locked, it can't read, search or write to it, or use it in background work.

• Single messages with /ignore: put /ignore as a standalone word in a message you send and Perisclaw reacts 🙈, then leaves that message out of everything, including later search. The message stays in WhatsApp.

What it does with the rest: your data is never used to train AI models, ours or anyone else's, it runs in your own isolated, encrypted environment, and Perisclaw is ISO 27001 certified. By default it drafts anything you ask it to send in your self-chat and sends only when you approve, and you can pause all sending with one setting. Disconnecting is the same as for any device: log it out from Linked devices on your phone. The detail is in Permissions & access, and our page on a private AI assistant for WhatsApp compares how Meta AI, ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini handle your messages.

One caveat in the same spirit: WhatsApp didn't build linked devices for outside tools, and its help centre warns that linking unofficial apps can lead to a ban. Perisclaw is built for normal personal use and stops after 15 chats if asked to send the same message to many, but nobody outside WhatsApp can promise zero risk.

FAQ

How do I stop people adding me to WhatsApp groups?

Go to Settings → Privacy → Groups and choose My contacts or My contacts except…. People outside that list have to send you an invite, which expires after three days. You can still join groups through invite links.

Can I hide that I've read a WhatsApp message?

Turn off read receipts in Settings → Privacy. It doesn't apply to group chats or voice notes, and you won't see other people's read receipts either.

Does Chat Lock hide a chat from an AI assistant?

It depends on the assistant. With Perisclaw, yes: a chat you lock in WhatsApp is automatically blocked, so it can't read, search or write to it while the lock is on.

What is Restricted chat on WhatsApp?

A per-chat setting that's rolling out to replace Advanced chat privacy, so as of November 2026 not everyone has it yet. When it's on, people in the chat can't export it, automatically save its media, use Meta AI in it, or use linked devices for it, including WhatsApp Web. Block the chat in Perisclaw too if you want it kept out.

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