About suspicious files

Android

iPhone

For some files you share or receive in a chat, you may receive an error message.

If you're the sender, you will see this pop-up:

This file is in an unusual format that may indicate it is dangerous, corrupted, or otherwise not supported on WhatsApp. For security precautions, this file cannot be sent.

If you're the recipient, you will see this pop-up:

This file was sent in an unusual format that may indicate it is dangerous, corrupted, or otherwise not supported on WhatsApp. For security precautions, this file cannot be opened.

This notification may appear when a file is suspected to be malicious, or in a format not supported by WhatsApp.

If you receive a file that can be opened, make sure you trust the sender before opening it.

WhatsApp automatically performs checks to determine if a file is suspicious, to ensure that the format is supported on WhatsApp and doesn’t crash the app on your device.

To protect your privacy, these checks take place entirely on your device, and because of end-to-end encryption, WhatsApp can’t see the content of your messages.

To learn more about how to stay safe on WhatsApp, read this article.

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