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WHATSAPP is adding a new feature that lets you download your data on a computer.
The new trick will let you see the info that WhatsApp stores on you.
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You can access this at any time on a phone – and you should check it today.
But a version that lets you check on the desktop version of WhatsApp is also in development.
The sleuths at WABetaInfo have discovered that the feature is rolling out to WhatsApp beta testers right now.
That means it will likely arrive on the public version of WhatsApp at some point this year.
“This feature has been introduced because of the new GDPR regulations some years ago,” said WABetaInfo.
“And it includes a detailed report of some information such as your activity info, privacy settings, device details, and contacts.
“If you want to learn more, you can try requesting a report today.”
WhatsApp already offers this feature on mobile.
What’s in my WhatsApp report?
Your WhatsApp report contains your account information and settings.
Importantly, WhatsApp won’t reveal the your messages.
It’s possible to do that, and we’ll explain how further down.
But it will contain lots of information about your history on WhatsApp.
This includes your name and phone number, as well as the numbers of your contacts.
You’ll be able to see all the WhatsApp Groups you’ve ever joined, your device type, your connection IP addresses, profile pictures, when you changed your profile About section and more.
It also features the exact time you edited your profile picture, the numbers you’ve blocked, and your privacy settings.
And it explains whether you accepted the 2016 terms and conditions that first enabled data-sharing with Facebook.
There’s plenty of technical information about how you’ve used WhatsApp in the history.
And it’s this sort of info that WhatsApp could hand over to the police if you were ever in trouble with the law.
How to request your WhatsApp report
To request your account information, load up WhatsApp.
You need to use the mobile app – it won’t work on WhatsApp Desktop or WhatsApp Web.
Then go into Settings > Account > Request Account Info.
From there, tap Request Report, and then you’ll soon see Request Sent.
It takes about three days for the report to finalise and appear.
There should be a Ready By date that lets you know how long it might take.
Note that once you’ve requested a report, you can’t undo or change the request.
However, if you change your phone number or delete your account, the request will be “voided”, WhatsApp says.
That means you’ll have to request another report.
When the report is finally available to download, you’ll get a WhatsApp notification on your phone.
This will say: “Your account info report is now available.”
The Request Account Info screen in WhatsApp will give you a time limit for how long you have to download the report.
These reports are deleted from WhatsApp servers eventually, so don’t forget about it.
Once the report is ready, tap Download Report.
You can then export the report to somewhere else, including copying it to your email.
It’s then possible to delete the report too.
If you want to try the latest WhatsApp features first, check out our guide below on how to join the beta.
How to get WhatsApp beta
To download WhatsApp beta for your smartphone you need to go to Google Play on your Android and search for WhatsApp.
Scroll down the page until you see “Become a Beta Tester”.
Tap the “I’m In” button and then click “Join” to confirm.
Now all you have to do is wait for the update to the beta version of the app.
Joining the WhatsApp beta on iPhone is more difficult, and has limited capacity.
Follow Apple’s guide here.
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Featured Image Credit: Apple / WhatsApp / Unsplash / The Sun
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