In the last few weeks, WhatsApp was seriously questioned over the issue of sharing the data with its parent company Facebook. With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws set to become effective on May 25, WhatsApp has added new functionality to its Android application which allows users to download their data. Allowing users to download their own account information is one of the stipulations in the EU's GDPR laws, and now WhatsApp is fully in compliance with that. However, the feature has been added to the WhatsApp Beta version of Android and not the stable version. iOS and Windows Phone versions will also get this feature going forward, maximum by May 25.
The feature is present on the WhatsApp Beta version 2.18.128 for Android and can be accessed by heading over the Account information under Settings. After digging in, users on the aforesaid WhatsApp Beta version will be presented with an option of 'Request Account Info.' After requesting for your account information, WhatsApp will prepare your account information but do make a note the preparation will take up to one day. In my case, it took over four hours to prepare my data.
After preparing the data, a download button will appear in the same menu, which will download all of your account information. The report includes all the details WhatsApp has on you, starting from which device you're using along with the model number and more.
This feature ultimately falls in line with the GDPR laws set by the EU government. Facebook's other portals such as Instagram already rolled out the similar feature, allowing users to download their entire account information. And of course, after the Cambridge Analytica Scandal, Facebook is also allowing users to download their account information.
As mentioned, there's no info on when the feature is going to be live for the iOS and Windows Phone WhatsApp versions, but it should be official before May 25. We will keep you posted on the feature's availability when it rolls out to other platforms.
