WhatsApp is rolling out Incognito Chat with Meta AI, a new mode that allows users to interact with the company’s AI assistant in conversations that are invisible to everyone — including Meta itself.

The feature is built on Meta’s Private Processing technology and represents an expansion of the end-to-end encryption principles that WhatsApp introduced a decade ago. Unlike other incognito-style AI modes that obscure conversations at the interface level while the provider can still read the underlying data, Meta says Incognito Chat processes messages in a secure environment that the company cannot access.

How It Works

When a user starts an Incognito Chat with Meta AI, the conversation is created as a private, temporary session. Messages are not saved by default and disappear after the session ends. Meta says the design is intended for queries involving sensitive personal, financial, health, or work-related information — situations where users may hesitate to engage with AI due to privacy concerns.

A second feature, Side Chat protected by Private Processing, is planned for release in the coming months. Side Chat will allow Meta AI to assist within an existing conversation, with context from what is being discussed, without disrupting the main chat or exposing the content to Meta.

A Privacy Bet on AI Adoption

The announcement positions privacy as a competitive differentiator for Meta AI at a time when AI assistant adoption is accelerating globally. WhatsApp has more than two billion users worldwide, with deep penetration across Southeast Asia, making the feature particularly relevant for the region where the app is a primary communication tool for both personal and business use.

Incognito Chat with Meta AI is rolling out on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app over the coming months.