WhatsApp, the messaging platform owned by Meta, announced on Wednesday the launch of a new AI-driven tool designed to help users refine their messages—offering capabilities to rephrase content, proofread text, and adjust the tone of communications.

Named “Writing Help,” the feature leverages Meta’s Private Processing technology, a key safeguard that ensures user privacy. Under this framework, neither Meta nor WhatsApp gains access to the original message or the AI-generated rewrites. This means users can utilize the tool to enhance their messages without compromising the confidentiality that WhatsApp is known for.

The core functionality of Writing Help lies in its ability to generate tailored message suggestions across multiple tones. Users can opt for rewrites that sound more professional, inject humor, add a supportive tone, or simply rephrase content for clarity. To illustrate how the feature works, WhatsApp shared a product example: an original message reading “Please don’t leave dirty socks on the sofa” was transformed into several funny alternatives, such as “Please don’t make the sofa a sock graveyard,” “Breaking news: Socks found chilling on the couch. Please move them,” and “Hey, sock ninja, the laundry basket is that way!”

For WhatsApp, the launch of Writing Help is a strategic move to keep users within its ecosystem for message drafting, rather than prompting them to switch to external AI tools like ChatGPT. However, the feature may not resonate equally with all users. Many people still prioritize authentic, personal interactions—especially with friends and family—and may view AI-generated rewrites as impersonal. As the thinking goes, using AI to polish a work email is one thing, but relying on it to craft a message to a grandparent feels less appropriate.

Accessing Writing Help is straightforward: When drafting a message in the WhatsApp app, users will see a new pencil icon. Tapping this icon opens the AI tool, allowing them to select their desired tone or rewrite option