Overview
- The feature is rolling out over the coming weeks and is enabled from Settings > Privacy > Advanced on a user's primary device only.
- Once activated, it blocks media and file attachments from unknown senders, silences calls from unsaved numbers, and disables link previews.
- Accounts in this mode restrict last seen and online status, hide profile details from non-contacts, limit who can add you to groups, and lock on two-step verification with security notifications.
- Meta is migrating WhatsApp's media-handling to Rust-based libraries to cut memory-safety vulnerabilities that spyware can exploit.
- The move follows Apple's Lockdown Mode and Android's Advanced Protection and drew praise from researchers including The Citizen Lab's John Scott-Railton and Access Now's Natalia Krapiva.