On iOS and macOS, WhatsApp stores chat databases unencrypted in an app group container accessible to apps from the same developer. So all Meta apps on the same iPhone (e.g., Facebook) can read WA chats in plaintext without permission, and users wouldn't be notified.
This is a demo we prepared recently to show a macOS bug that allowed unrestricted access to protected app containers. WhatsApp stores data at rest without encryption.




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