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About WhatsApp permissions
Android
iOS
Android
iOS
If you've already installed WhatsApp, you can control the permissions the app uses in your phone's settings. You can check your iPhone’s access settings with these steps:
- Go to iPhone Settings > WhatsApp.
- Under Allow WhatsApp to access, turn on access to the permissions you’d like to enable. You can also choose to limit access to permissions.
Certain contact names won't appear when you try to call, message, or view a status if you haven't allowed full access to the contacts in your phone’s address book. You can grant access by going to your phone's Settings > WhatsApp > Contacts.
Photo and video permissions
In order to use your photos and videos on WhatsApp, you’ll need to give the app permission to access your photos. If you declined permission to use photos, you'll see this alert:
- "WhatsApp does not have access to your photos or videos. To enable access, tap Settings and turn on Photos."
Grant permission
You can grant permission by changing your iPhone's privacy settings.
- Go to iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security.
- Tap Photos > WhatsApp.
- Under "Photo library access", tap Limited Access or Full Access.
If WhatsApp is grayed out or doesn't appear in privacy settings
Ensure that you don't have any restrictions set in iPhone Settings > Screen Time. Otherwise, you might need to backup and restore your phone.
To learn more about how we collect and use data, review our Privacy Policy.
