Is someone secretly reading your WhatsApp chats? Here's how to find out

It can be quite easy for your partner, family members, friends, or colleagues to secretly access your WhatsApp chats on their own devices, without you realising.

But how?

Well, the "linked devices" feature on Meta's WhatsApp allows you to send and receive messages on your desktop, laptop or iPad using a web app, but you can also link to another phone, as long as it's not already running the app, Forbes reported.

For anyone who has access to your unlocked phone or passcode, then this may quickly be done and you'd never know. However, it is also very easy to detect and put an end to.

Step one

Open WhatsApp and go to "Settings". Then, click on "Linked Devices"

Step two

Once you open, "Linked Devices", make sure you recognise anything listed.

If you haven't linked any of your own devices and see links there, or if there are links you don't recognise, then log out right away.

This goes for most messengers that link in this way, rather than through a trusted device architecture.

Other ways to protect WhatsApp chats

Other than this, the instant-messaging app's locked chats lets you set a different passcode to protect your most sensitive messages in a separate folder.

WhatsApp also advises to "check your linked devices regularly... to review all devices linked to your account."

A linked device will be dropped if it doesn't do anything on your account for a month or so, but if you don’t keep checking, it’s easy enough to relink.