Meta Adds Incognito AI Chats to WhatsApp, Rolling Out Over the Next Few Months
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · May 13
Meta Adds Incognito AI Chats to WhatsApp, Rolling Out Over the Next Few Months
12 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · May 13
Meta said WhatsApp users can now start private one-on-one sessions with Meta AI that are processed in a secure environment, with the feature also coming to the standalone Meta AI app.
Those incognito chats are not saved, disappear by default when the chat closes, and end when users lock their phone or close the app, wiping the AI’s conversation context.
The feature runs on Meta’s latest Muse Spark model, released last month, extending the private-processing system WhatsApp introduced last year to add AI tools without breaking end-to-end encryption.
Meta is already building a follow-up feature called Side Chat, which would let users query Meta AI privately inside group or individual chats without alerting other participants.
The privacy push comes as AI chatbots are increasingly used for sensitive health, financial and personal questions, and after lawyers warned such conversations could surface in litigation.
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3 Billion WhatsApp Users Get Meta AI’s Incognito Chat: Privacy Breakthrough or Trust Crisis?
Overview
In May 2026, Meta launched Incognito Chat for Meta AI within WhatsApp, marking a new era of private AI interaction. By making Meta AI the only chatbot available and blocking others, WhatsApp aims to give billions of users a secure and privacy-focused way to interact with AI directly in their messages. At launch, Incognito Chat only supports text-based interactions, with image features excluded to strengthen privacy. This move is designed to build user trust and lay the foundation for more advanced AI features in the future, all within a controlled and secure environment.