WhatsApp is adding some more features into AI assisted messaging. The Meta owned app is bringing an update to its Writing Help feature that can now draft a suggested response based on your conversation. The idea is to help you get your message “just right”, as the company put it in a recent blog post.
Writing Help first launched last August. In an earlier blog post from the launch, WhatsApp said, “Sometimes you know what you want to say, but just need a little help with how to say it.” It introduced the feature as “our latest AI feature powered by Private Processing that keeps your messages completely private.”
At launch, users could ask the tool to rephrase, proofread or adjust tone in styles such as professional, funny or supportive. To use it, you start drafting a message in a one to one or group chat and tap the pencil icon. With the latest update, the system can go further and generate a full suggested reply based on the conversation itself.
In a nutshell, the update generates AI powered suggested replies and adds onto what Writing Help can already do. The company seems to be keen for users to draft messages on WhatsApp to minimise switching to, and from, external tools such as ChatGPT.
Is It Really Private And Are There Risks?
Whenever AI reads a conversation, privacy becomes the first question. WhatsApp says the feature is built to avoid that problem. In its August blog post, the company wrote, “Writing Help is built on top of Private Processing technology, which allows you to leverage Meta AI to generate a response without Meta or WhatsApp ever reading your message or the suggested re-writes.”
The company added, “As always, we believe that you should be in control of your experience on WhatsApp. That’s why using Private Processing features like Writing Help and Message Summaries are optional and are off by default.”
That reassurance may not settle everyone, though. TechCrunch brought up the point that not all users will want AI generated messages in personal chats, especially in conversations with friends and family. As TechCrunch puts it, an email drafted with AI feels different from a message in a family group chat.
There is also a social risk. If more people lean on AI to phrase apologies, birthday wishes or difficult conversations, authenticity could become an issue.
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There has been online discourse about people who ask AI to write what are meant to be heartfelt messages, and many feel uneasy about it. They say it removes an element of genuine connection from conversations over text.
WhatsApp says chats stay private even when Writing Help is used, but data safety isn’t really the issue here… It’s more about how relationships change when an algorithm helps choose your words.
What Other Updates Did WhatsApp Announce?
The AI writing update arrived with a wider product refresh. In a recent feature roundup, WhatsApp said it is introducing new tools to make the app easier to manage.
One practical change is better storage control. Users can now find and delete large files directly within any chat. Instead of wiping an entire conversation, you can tap the chat name, select Manage Storage and remove only the files you no longer want. You can also clear just media files while keeping the chat history intact.
Cross platform chat transfer has also improved. WhatsApp now supports moving chat history from iOS to Android, as well as transfers within the same platform. Changing phones requires only a couple of taps to bring conversations, photos and videos across.
On iOS, users can now log into two WhatsApp accounts on one phone, a feature that Android users already had. Your profile picture appears in the bottom tab so you know which account you are using. Stickers are getting an update too, with WhatsApp suggesting them as you type emojis so you can swap quickly.
Photo editing has gained an AI element as well. Users can touch up images directly in a chat using Meta AI. This allows you to remove something distracting, change the background or apply a different style before sending.
These features are rolling out now and will be available to all users soon, WhatsApp said. The app that once promised plain text messaging now edits photos, manages storage and writes replies. The bigger question is how much of our everyday conversation we want it to handle.
