E2EE WhatsApp Chat Backup
@S7venLightsWays to use WhatsApp more privately
Last Update: 13 Nov 2025
(Note I'll sort-hand WhatsApp as 'WA' in this guide)
Firstly:
WA will never be as private as alternatives, read more: Why leave WhatsApp
One also needs to consider if each persons keyboard apps are spying on your texts, this is a good private keyboard.
Second, E2EE lies:
For a long time WA has deceived users into thinking their chats are totally private with end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which would ensure only you and the recipient can see the content. But their chat backup feature was never E2EE and is still not E2EE by default.
If backup is on, all your personal chats and photos shared have been visible to backup servers for years.
So, you'll have to request people in personal chats, turn off chat backup or turn on the E2EE chat backup. Otherwise B👀gle and 👁 cloud are seeing your private chats.
Here's how I go about that, I'll send a series of messages like this (messages divided by lines):
Hi Name, WhatsApp for a long time have deceived users into thinking their chats are totally private with E2EE: end-to-end encryption (which ensures only you and the recipient can see the content). But their chat backup feature was never E2EE and is still not E2EE by default. Even if I turn off backup, your phone will still backup our chat and expose my private info. Understand?
Before we can chat, the new encrypted chat backup is not on by default, but it's pretty easy to turn on, I'll send instructions. However if chat backup is off and you don't use it, then we're all good.
It's pretty straight forward:
WhatsApp Settings>Chats> Chat Backup>End-to-end Encrypted Backup>Turn On
Using the 64-digit Encryption key option.
You can take a screenshot of the key or add it to your password manager if you have one.
You will *only* need to enter the key again to restore backups on a new phone.
But if backups aren't important to you you can just turn backup off.
If you're on iPhone? There's one more step.
If you're on Android with Gemini AI, then read this to protect your WhatsApps from AI: https://proton.me/blog/turn-off-gemini-on-android
As for Apple backup, there's also a new E2EE option:
Advanced Data Protection for iCloud.
On iPhone or iPad:
1. Open iPhone Settings.
2. Tap your account name, then tap iCloud.
3. Scroll down, tap Advanced Data Protection, then tap Turn on Advanced Data Protection.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to review your recovery methods and enable.
Video instructions Officialguide:
Alternatively if you just want to turn off WhatsApp iCloud (your WhatsApp's in app backup will still save chat history):
1. Open iPhone settings
2. Tap your iPhone Account Name > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups
3. Select your device/phone from the options listed
4. Untoggle/turn off WhatsApp
Videos showing how:
E2EE Chat backup for WA android
https://youtu.be/GjHZZ_DmVHI?si=Ieis-8ba_v_EWbyi&t=15
iPhone
Remove iCloud backups
or better encrypt icloud backups:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzcOUyFmqok
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Otherwise, Signal messenger https://signal.org is the easiest way to contact me. There's also this new app beeper.com which let's you put all your chat services in one app, pretty convenient, let me know if you try it out :)
What if people don't want to turn on E2EE chat backup?
There is a little workaround I thought of… WhatsApp let's you send view once media, that will delete after 1 view. Unlike the 'disappearing messages' feature this probably avoids the content from even having time to backup.
You can share a blank image and add a caption to it with the message or write a message, screenshot it and share that image in a chat with the 'view once' option.
More ways to use WhatsApp privately:
Use WA disappearing messages feature by setting a default disappearing time for all new chats. You can prevent disappearing per message by long pressing on a message and clicking keep.
- Use the view once media sending option when sending pictures etc.
- Turn on security notifications in settings to be notified when someones registered on a new device or sim, this helps you ascertain if the person has been sim swap attacked or not. (You might be talking to a stranger).
- Turn on 2 step verification.
- Use with a trustworthy VPN like Proton.me, Mullvad or Windscribe
- Use calls if you can, this will leave no message history behind (but may voice ID you??).
- Maybe avoid using Voice notes that uploads your voice ID to backup, instead use STT with Futo Keyboard or view once voice notes.
- An article I wrote on leaving WA
''Is there a way to use WhatsApp without running the actual app? I refuse to download anything Facebook-related''
There is a way but you won't get notifications and it will be inconvenient.
You will have to have a number to register and a old phone to install WA on first.
Then install Beeper.com or Whatsapp Web To Go on your main phone. Connect WA and when promoted with the QR code, scan it with the old phone WA.
After that you should be able to turn off the old phone and use WA web without WA running elsewhere (but you will need to activate the old phone once every 2 weeks or if you get logged out).
Note there are limitations to this method, Beeper and WhatsApp web to go can't do everything, last I tested, notifications and contacts are an issue. You can get contacts by using ' wa.me/1234567890?text=Hi+name ' links.
Where '1234' is the persons cell number including the area code, excluding the +.
You can save this link in your contacts. This will only automatically open in the official WA app though or if you click the link from within WA web.
Consider also running WhatsApp web on a dedicated browser on your PC for a better experience.
Note Beeper technically has access to your WhatsApps and WA web to go is updated when your phone updates android system web view, so the app doesn't need much maintenance.
_
Alternatively install the official WhatsApp in a shelter work profile, at the expense of some battery and privacy.
If you install WA on your main profile, you can run it without contact or storage permissions and launch WA web to go to view media that is sent, since without storage permission, you can't view media in the main app.
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Look into ways of bridging chat apps: see Beeper.com and Texts.com
Note also in the EU laws have recently passed where mainstream chat apps (WA) have to be interoperable with other chat apps
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Other options for PC:
Try install WA in an android emulator like Waydroid or genymotion on your PC
or
Install BlissOS in a VM on your PC