WhatsApp was the first mobile private messaging service to gain critical mass. Then Meta (formerly Facebook) bought the platform. These days, WhatsApp looks primed for a bright future, thanks to a foundation built on excellent technology and a large and loyal user base. We like WhatsApp's easy-to-use interface, but reputation is everything in cybersecurity, so Signal edges it out as our Editors' Choice winner for its longtime commitment to maintaining customer privacy.
Can You Trust WhatsApp?
Trust is the foundation of any secure messaging app, and WhatsApp does a lot to earn your trust. For one thing, it's built on the tried-and-tested Signal Protocol for sending and receiving end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messages. That means only the sender and the intended recipient can read messages on this service. Not even the people at WhatsApp (and, by extension, Meta) can read your personal messages.
The fact that WhatsApp is owned by Meta makes it hard to fully endorse the messenger. For years, Meta was plagued by user data collection scandals. That said, WhatsApp appears to operate independently of Meta, and even has a separate privacy policy.
In the document, WhatsApp goes to great lengths to explain the insight Meta has into WhatsApp activities. There's even an entire FAQ article devoted to the subject. According to WhatsApp, Meta cannot see your contacts or your messages, but Meta can see your phone number, IP address, and any interactions with businesses on WhatsApp. That's a lot of identifying information.
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One thing to keep in mind is that Meta (and WhatsApp) cannot control what its corporate partners do with your data. To ensure that customers know when they are speaking with a business entity instead of a personal contact, WhatsApp's chat window displays a "business account" label in the chat window.
Getting Started With WhatsApp
You can use WhatsApp on most mobile and desktop devices or access it via the web. We tested the private messaging service using an iPhone 14 Pro. As with Signal and Telegram, you need a valid phone number to set up an account with WhatsApp. Keep in mind that all of these private messaging apps are about securing your messages, not engaging in anonymous texting. Editors' Choice winner Signal allows users to designate a username and hide their phone number from contacts after signing up, which adds a layer of anonymity to the service.
Like other messengers, WhatsApp asks to access your mobile device's Contacts list when you sign up. You don't have to give the app access to your Contacts for it to work, but it does make chatting with people you already know a lot easier. If you don't allow Contact list access, you'll need to input your friends' phone numbers to send them a message or invite them to a group chat. To its credit, WhatsApp seems to do a pretty good job of protecting the privacy of your Contacts list, employing cryptographic hashes instead of storing phone numbers on its servers.
After signing into your new account, you can head to the Account section within the app's Settings menu and set up security notifications. You can also add a PIN and email address to your account to use as a form of multi-factor authentication. We'd love to see support for additional, more secure authentication options, such as an authenticator app or a security key, in future updates.
WhatsApp's Privacy Settings
We like that users can customize their communication preferences in WhatsApp's Privacy menu. You can start locking down your privacy settings by tapping the Privacy Checkup button at the top of the Privacy Settings screen. From there, follow the steps to choose who can contact you, who sees your online status, and who receives read receipts. You can also set a timer for disappearing messages and back up your chat history. You can tweak all of these settings later using toggles within the Privacy menu.
If you've been using the same phone number throughout your life, you'll discover that every person you've ever interacted with is probably on WhatsApp. Thankfully, you can block anyone who messages you on WhatsApp (and report spam bots), and you can preemptively block users in Settings > Privacy > Blocked.
In the Privacy menu on Android and iOS, there's a feature called Chat Lock, which allows users to hide conversations from app view by locking the chat behind a layer of authentication. To lock a chat, swipe left on the conversation you want to lock. Tap the three dots and choose Lock Chat. From there, use biometric authentication, like Apple's FaceID, to hide the chat window in a folder called Locked Chats. Next, create a secret numeric code in the settings menu for the folder. Enter that code in the app's search bar to gain access to the conversation. The content and contacts for new messages you get in a locked chat window will be hidden.
A visit to the Advanced section of the Privacy menu reveals the option to "Protect IP address in calls," which means WhatsApp relays your calls through its servers. We didn't test this feature this time, but WhatsApp cautions that the setting may affect call quality.
Private Messaging on WhatsApp
As with most messaging platforms, WhatsApp places conversations in speech bubbles with your posts on the right and recipients on the left. You can opt in or out of read-receipts from Settings, as well as change the background of Chats. WhatsApp also lets you block screenshots for images you mark as view-once, and you can set default message durations, giving you lots of control over your messages.
On iOS, the plus symbol beside the text field in the chat window allows you to add audio clips, images, GPS location info, videos, a poll, or contact information to a chat window. You can also send files (up to 2GB).
Tap the rounded square icon in the text field for access to emoji, reaction GIFs, and, most importantly, WhatsApp's robust collection of stickers, both static and animated. You can browse your list of saved stickers, add new ones, and download apps that add new stickers. Signal also offers stickers for the chat window.
WhatsApp also lets users create personalized avatars. The editor is robust and vaguely reminiscent of Meta's VR avatars—albeit with arms and legs. WhatsApp doesn't have Apple Messages-style live filters or AR masks.
Statuses take a page from social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, letting you create short videos that expire after 24 hours. You can send out audio, GIFs, links, photos, text, and videos as Status messages, adding embellishments with the built-in image editor. Before you send out your Status, you can specify who can or cannot see it, letting you spare your grandmother your latest and dankest memes.
Groups Chats on WhatsApp
Creating groups is simple in WhatsApp. You select people from your contacts, give the group a name, and you're ready to start messaging them. By default, the person who creates the group is the administrator, and an admin can make other group members admins at any time.
Administrators can manually add new members after the fact or export a QR code or a shareable link other invitees can use to join the group. We like that users can set a timer to determine how long messages in each group exist.
WhatsApp has some other useful settings for group chats, such as limiting posts to only the members you select. There's also a Communities feature in WhatsApp. These are chats that include additional management tools for larger, broader groups of people. They can support up to 1024 users and up to 32 people in video calls.
Payments and Shopping on WhatsApp
In addition to chatting with your friends, WhatsApp can also be used for shopping and connecting with brands. Some companies use WhatsApp instead of email to keep in touch with customers, sending them promotions or communicating with them directly for purchases and deliveries. It's important to remember that conversations with businesses do not use E2EE—meaning Meta or others could be watching and learning.
WhatsApp supports crypto payments in the US, but you need to create an account with specific crypto services. We did not test the payment features, but Signal and Telegram have similar abilities.
WhatsApp Voice and Video Chat
We tested WhatsApp's audio and video calls using the iOS app. The video quality on the calls was a little soft and grainy despite both callers being on the same Wi-Fi network. Like Signal, you can switch between the front and back cameras on your phone, share your screen, and turn off your camera during a call to switch to an audio-only setting. You can also minimize the call window to a type-chat window.
New chat notifications appear as pop-ups during calls unless you disable them in the app's Settings menu. We like how easy it is to screen share with other WhatsApp call participants, but if you want to ensure that your private conversations stay secret, disable your chat notifications while sharing your screen.
Each Chat or Group Chat can be used to start a new voice or video call. Afterward, the Calls section of the main screen logs your calls for easy access in the future. According to WhatsApp's documentation, video calls can support up to 32 participants. Group calls are similar to Discord's in that all Group chat members can see when a call starts and join it as they please.
Verdict: An Excellent Private Messaging App With a Caveat
WhatsApp is a rock-solid messaging app that uses end-to-end encryption by default for all personal chat messages and Group Chats, though business conversations don't get that kind of protection. Among private messaging platforms, WhatsApp remains a powerful force based on its widespread use alone, and its wealth of features make it a valuable communication tool. That said, Meta's ownership of the app leaves us with lingering doubts related to the app's privacy and security. If you want to lock down your conversations, consider our Editors' Choice winner, Signal. Its pedigree as a secure messenger is still unbeatable.
WhatsApp's enormous user base and excellent features make it easy to connect with your friends and family, but its ownership raises doubts about its status as a privacy-first messaging app.
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