WhatsApp has taken a step forward in the integration of artificial intelligence. within its messaging platform with the launch of the automatic unread message summary feature. This feature is designed for those who, upon opening a group or chat, find themselves faced with dozens—or even hundreds—of messages piled up and don't have the time or inclination to read them all one by one.
The new tool, called Message Summaries or “Message Summaries”, uses Meta AI technology to offer the user a brief and private summary of the most important things discussed in a chat during your absence. This way, you avoid the classic scenario of having to spend a long time reviewing all the messages to understand what was being discussed or if any relevant decisions were made.
How does the WhatsApp summary feature work?
In practice, When the user enters a conversation with several unread messages, WhatsApp deploys a new option next to the pending message counter. By clicking on the Meta AI icon, the artificial intelligence analyzes the conversation and generates a thematic summary of the key points. The result is a brief report which allows you to catch up in just a few seconds, without having to scroll endlessly or miss the essence of the conversation.
This feature is not active by defaultOnly interested users can enable it from the Advanced Privacy section of the app, and you can even choose which specific chats it will be available in. The generated summary is also completely private: only the person who requested it can see it, and the rest of the group won't even know the option has been used.
Private processing and privacy control
One of the highlights is the focus on privacyMeta has implemented what it calls "Private Processing," which means that messages are processed in secure cloud environments (or even locally, according to the company), and neither Meta nor WhatsApp access the original content or the generated summaries. This technology, based on confidential execution environments, guarantees that, as promised, user privacy is never compromised.
The user retains full control over which conversations can use this tool, and its activation is voluntary. The summary, of course, is only visible to the person who requests it, maintaining the discretion and privacy at all timesIf a member of a group decides to take advantage of the feature, no one else will be aware of it.
Initial availability and expansion plans
For now, message summaries with AI are only available to users in the United States and in English. WhatsApp has explained that the plan is to gradually expand the feature to other languages and regions throughout 2025. Although there is still no official date for its launch in Spain and other European countries, the update is expected to reach more users in the coming months, once the necessary adjustments have been made following the initial rollout.
The main objective of this innovation is to make it easier to manage busy conversations, allowing users to focus on what's truly important. Artificial intelligence promises to optimize time management and offer a more efficient and private experience in daily communication.
