I Spotted a New Feature in My WhatsApp Beta
While checking my WhatsApp beta on Android version 2.25.18.18, I noticed something new—an option labeled “Summarize with Meta AI” above one of my unread chats. Curious, I tapped it. In seconds, WhatsApp gave me a neat summary of a long message thread I hadn’t touched in days.
This feature is part of a new AI rollout quietly hitting beta testers.
Here’s How It Works
Every time I leave chats unread for a while, especially in busy groups, WhatsApp now gives me a summary button right at the top. Once I tap it, the AI condenses the message thread into a short recap.
It’s surprisingly useful for catching up without scrolling endlessly.
Meta Says It’s Private—And I Checked
Naturally, I had privacy concerns. But WhatsApp claims all AI summaries are processed on-device through something called Private Processing. According to Meta’s official whitepaper, my messages don’t leave my phone, and the AI never sees the raw data.
In my testing, I noticed summaries never appeared in disappearing chats or end-to-end encrypted groups with Advanced Privacy enabled, so it seems Meta is honoring that boundary, for now.
Meta’s AI Is Also Writing Messages
While exploring further, I found that WhatsApp is developing a “Writing Help” tool. Though it’s not active for me yet, early testers report that it uses Meta AI to help draft replies—think smart suggestions, not full messages.
It looks like Meta wants to turn WhatsApp into a productivity assistant, not just a messaging app. Digital Information World covered this development in more detail.
But Should We Trust This?
That’s the big question. Yes, Meta says it doesn’t see our data—but I haven’t forgotten the company’s history with Cambridge Analytica and other privacy mishaps. And according to Wired, even on-device AI models can leak metadata or become vulnerable to side-channel attacks.
So while the tech looks clean on paper, I’m still watching this with some skepticism.
What I Liked
- It saved me time in noisy group chats.
- Summaries were accurate and didn’t feel generic.
- I didn’t have to scroll through 100+ messages to know what was going on.
What Gave Me Pause?
- I couldn’t fully disable the feature—just ignore it.
- There’s no transparency yet about how summaries are generated.
- I worry about the next update silently expanding its permissions.
Even TechRadar reported backlash to Meta forcing AI features into the UI without consent.
My Verdict: Use With Caution
If you’re like me and get flooded with group messages, this tool is genuinely helpful. But if you’re privacy-focused, keep your guard up. Meta’s framing of “on-device AI” sounds good, but history tells us to read the fine print.
I’ll keep using it—for now—but with one eye on the settings panel and the other on what Meta does next.
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