WhatsApp collects extensive user data and generates monthly reports on its users. Here’s what you need to know.

The WhatsApp Wrapped feature, hidden deep within the app's settings, creates a monthly dossier on the user. This is reported by The Sun.

This feature can generate a substantial report that even includes detailed information on the number of text messages sent. The creation of the first dossier will take about three days.

The function is similar to the music history overview in Spotify, but its counterpart in WhatsApp is not designed for entertainment. It is intended as a privacy tool, allowing users to see what exactly WhatsApp knows about them. This is also relevant to Meta, as WhatsApp belongs to Mark Zuckerberg's tech giant. The report can reveal numerous bits of stored information about the user, including:

• Account information
• Profile photo
• Name
• App settings
• Privacy settings
• Security settings
• Contact names and phone numbers
• Total number of sent and received messages
• Created groups
• Joined groups
• Group members
• Blocked accounts
• Time of profile photo edits

However, a key piece of information is missing: the content of messages. It won't be possible to see a list of sent text messages, but there is a way to export messages. This is because WhatsApp cannot read the messages (they are encrypted). Therefore, the report only includes data that WhatsApp has access to. It contains information that WhatsApp could potentially share with the police, for example, if issues arise.

To request the report, you first need to download WhatsApp. Then go to Settings > Account > Request Account Information. Now click "Request Account Report," and WhatsApp will start creating it.

Open WhatsApp, then navigate to "Settings" > "Account" > "Request Account Information." Select "Automatically create reports," and a dossier will be sent monthly.

Once the report is ready, a notification will appear in WhatsApp stating, "Your account report is now available." It will also inform you how long you have to download the file before it is permanently deleted. Therefore, it’s advisable to download the report as soon as possible. However, WhatsApp urges users to handle the complaint with caution.

"Since this report contains your information, you should exercise caution when storing, sending, or uploading it to any other services," WhatsApp warned.

It might even be wise to delete the report immediately.

Earlier, we reported that WhatsApp has introduced a new secret feature in the messenger. WhatsApp will gain the ability to cross-post content to one of Meta's popular applications.