Adding your WhatsApp account to an Accounts Centre
What is WhatsApp in Accounts Centre
Accounts Centre is a place where you can centrally manage account settings and connected experiences across your Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Meta accounts. Adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre is completely optional. You can add and remove your WhatsApp account to and from Accounts Centre at any time.
By adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, you'll unlock experiences that work across Meta apps, such as the ability to easily share your Status created on WhatsApp to Stories on Facebook or Instagram. You'll also be able to manage some account settings in one place, such as adjusting profile information. Adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre means WhatsApp and Meta will share information to provide these benefits, which we explain below and in the WhatsApp Privacy Policy.
Adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre does not affect the privacy of your WhatsApp personal messages or calls, which will remain end-to-end encrypted. No one else, not even WhatsApp or Meta, can read or listen to them. We also do not share your contact lists with any other Meta Company.
WhatsApp relies on Meta's infrastructure, such as servers, to support people around the world with fast and reliable services. In general, access to WhatsApp personal data is restricted, so it's only used by other Meta apps to determine how many people we serve and keep people safe, or when a user chooses to use an optional feature that works across Meta products.
WhatsApp in Accounts Centre is one of these optional features. Other optional features include chatting with Meta AI or messaging businesses that are using Meta's business tools. Optional features are always explained clearly in the app so you can make the choice that's right for you.
What information is collected by WhatsApp when you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre
The WhatsApp Privacy Policy describes information that WhatsApp collects on its services. When you choose to add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, WhatsApp also collects information such as:
- Device and connection information, such as a unique ID created every time you use WhatsApp in Accounts Centre.
- Usage and log information about how WhatsApp in Accounts Centre is performing, such as service-related, diagnostic and performance information, e.g. log files, time stamps, crosspost activity and maintenance logs.
To enable you to use connected experiences available through Accounts Centre, WhatsApp also receives information from other Meta Companies, such as:
- Account information, such as identifiers related to the Facebook or Instagram accounts in the same Accounts Centre you are crossposting information to.
- Device and connection information required to connect your Facebook or Instagram accounts to your WhatsApp account.
- Your age information as stated on Meta accounts (e.g. Facebook), which helps us to do things such as reconcile any age discrepancy, determine eligibility for Meta Company Products and provide an age-appropriate ads experience..
What information will Meta receive about you if you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre
When you choose to add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, other Meta Companies receive information such as:
- Account information, such as your phone number and your WhatsApp profile picture (to display it in your Accounts Centre settings, for example).
- Age information (if provided), which helps Meta do things such as reconcile any age discrepancy and determine eligibility for Meta Company Products.
- User content such as your WhatsApp Status, if you have shared your Status updates to Facebook or Instagram Stories.
- Device and connection information, such as your app version or your set device language in WhatsApp.
- Usage and log information, which includes information on how you use our services, such as whether you've added your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre and how you use it, or how many times you've shared your WhatsApp Status to Facebook or Instagram Stories.
- Information related to your use of Channels if applicable (learn more about Information we collect for channels).
For what purposes WhatsApp uses your info if you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre
When you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, WhatsApp uses your info for purposes such as the following:
- Providing you with services for WhatsApp in Accounts Centre and to facilitate the functioning of features and experiences on WhatsApp, which include things such as:
- Checking your account eligibility and adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre.
- Adjusting your account information and settings to match them across accounts.
- Enabling single sign-on to easily access WhatsApp if your device is already logged in to another Meta account in the same Accounts Centre.
- Providing controls over connected experiences, such as sharing your WhatsApp Status to Facebook or Instagram Stories.
- Improving WhatsApp Services and products, such as WhatsApp in Accounts Centre, and this includes things such as:
- Troubleshooting, diagnosing, analysing and debugging product issues.
- Monitoring service performance, reliability and efficiency.
- Updating existing and developing new features, and undertaking experiments to evaluate the impact of new features in Accounts Centre.
- Generating and validating metrics to understand how well and often WhatsApp in Accounts Centre is being used to forecast future adoption of features in Accounts Centre.
- Working with other Meta Companies to use the information across the accounts in the same Accounts Centre to do things such as:
- Associate your WhatsApp account with other Meta Company Products accounts in Accounts Centre.
- Provide you with the connected experiences that you have chosen and to improve your experiences across accounts.
- If you see ads on Meta Company Products, we'll personalise ads for you and others and measure how they perform.
How Meta uses your info if you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre
If you choose to add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, Meta will use your information as described in the Meta Privacy Policy, to do things such as provide, personalise and improve its products and services, including to show you ads, measure their performance and provide more personalised features, content and suggestions across Meta Company Products, as well as promote safety, security and integrity. Meta's own terms and privacy policy will govern your use of Meta services and products.
Of course, WhatsApp relies on Meta's infrastructure, such as servers, to support people around the world with fast and reliable services. However, access to WhatsApp personal data is restricted so it will not be used by other Meta apps – including for ads – unless it's to determine how many people we serve, keep people safe or to provide optional features that work across Meta products.
WhatsApp in Accounts Centre is one of these optional features. Other optional features include chatting with Meta AI or messaging businesses that are using Meta's business tools. Optional features are always explained clearly in the app so you can make the choice that's right for you.
Does adding WhatsApp to Accounts Centre affect whether Meta uses your information when you message a business or share your info with them
Having your accounts in the same Accounts Centre does not affect whether your info is used if you choose to share it with businesses or if you message them on our products.
Learn more about how Meta uses your information across your accounts in the same Accounts Centre.
Which of your settings will change
Adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre will allow you to manage certain settings in one place for your WhatsApp accounts, and any other accounts that you have in the same Accounts Centre. These include things such as adjusting your profile information across accounts, and whether to always crosspost status across your apps. For a full list of settings controlled through Accounts Centre, read more here.
If you don't want to add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre
You don't have to. Adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre is completely optional. If you choose not to add your WhatsApp account to the same Accounts Centre as your Facebook or Instagram accounts, you can still use WhatsApp as you always have.
If you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre and then change your mind
If you add your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre, you allow us to combine and use your information across accounts in Accounts Centre on different Meta Company Products. You can remove your WhatsApp account from Accounts Centre at any time.
If you remove your WhatsApp account from Accounts Centre, we'll stop combining your info between your WhatsApp account and the other accounts still in your Accounts Centre within seven days. If you remove your WhatsApp account, your previously combined info would remain combined.
You opted out of sharing your WhatsApp account information with Meta in 2016. How does adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre affect you
If you opted out of sharing your WhatsApp account information with Meta to improve Meta ads and product experiences in 2016, then adding your WhatsApp account to Accounts Centre means that you are opting into this sharing, and all sharing associated with Accounts Centre as described above.