Meta launches Incognito Chat for WhatsApp and Meta AI

Explore with AI:

Meta is rolling out a new Incognito Chat feature for WhatsApp and the Meta AI app, giving users a more private way to chat with its AI assistant.

The feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg on Threads, where he confirmed that Incognito Chat is now available across WhatsApp and the Meta AI app. The rollout gives users the option to start temporary conversations with Meta AI that do not remain saved inside the app after the session ends.

The idea behind Incognito Chat is simple. When users start a conversation in this mode, the chat disappears once they exit it. This makes it different from regular Meta AI conversations, which may remain available in the app for users to revisit later.

The feature works similarly to temporary AI chats already offered by other AI services, including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude. These temporary modes are designed for users who want to ask questions or discuss something with an AI assistant without keeping a long-term chat history.

Incognito Chat puts privacy at the center

Meta is positioning Incognito Chat as a privacy-focused feature, especially for users who may want to interact with Meta AI without leaving a saved conversation behind.

According to Meta, Incognito Chat is protected by its Private Processing infrastructure, which was introduced last year to bring AI features to WhatsApp while limiting Meta’s access to user conversations.

The company says AI requests are processed inside a protected cloud environment known as a Trusted Execution Environment. During this process, the contents of the conversation are designed to remain inaccessible to Meta while the request is being handled. Once the request is completed, the data is deleted.

Meta also says the privacy protections apply to web searches triggered during conversations with Meta AI. Instead of directly attaching searches to a user’s identity, Meta AI sends broader search requests to retrieve updated information from the web.

This means users can ask Meta AI questions that require current information without those searches being tied directly to their personal identity, according to the company’s explanation of the feature.

Zuckerberg also highlighted the disappearing nature of Incognito Chat, saying conversations vanish once users leave the session instead of being stored for long periods.

The launch comes at a time when AI privacy has become a major concern for users. As more people use chatbots for personal, work-related, and sensitive queries, companies are adding more controls around how conversations are stored, processed, and used.

Temporary chat modes have become one of the most visible privacy features in AI apps. They give users more control over whether a conversation remains in their history, which can be useful when asking one-off questions or discussing topics they do not want saved.

For Meta, the feature is also important because WhatsApp is widely used for private messaging. Adding AI tools inside WhatsApp raises natural questions about how user data is handled, especially in a messaging app known for end-to-end encryption.

With Incognito Chat, Meta appears to be trying to reassure users that they can interact with Meta AI in a more private way, without every AI conversation staying inside the app.

Rolling out now

Incognito Chat is rolling out now on WhatsApp and the Meta AI app. However, availability may vary at first as the feature expands to more users.

If the option is not visible yet, users may need to update WhatsApp or the Meta AI app and wait for the rollout to reach their account.

The addition of Incognito Chat shows how AI companies are responding to growing user demand for more privacy controls. While AI assistants are becoming more deeply integrated into everyday apps, users are also becoming more cautious about what they share with them.

By adding disappearing AI chats, Meta is giving users another way to manage their conversations with Meta AI, especially when they do not want those chats saved after the session ends.

Would disappearing AI chats make you more comfortable using Meta AI? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Explore with AI: