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DigiSafe vs WhatsApp: is it safe to send your Aadhaar in a chat?
- Our take
- Use both
- Sources
- 4 official pages
- Checked
- 18 September 2026
WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, so nobody can read your document on the way. The real question is what happens after it arrives.
A real moment
“The broker asks for your Aadhaar on WhatsApp, so you send a photo. It lands in his chat, maybe his gallery, and his next chat backup. A year later it is still there, next to the IDs of every other tenant.”
WhatsApp keeps your document safe on the way, with end-to-end encryption. After that, it stays in the other person's chat, where it can be saved or forwarded. A DigiSafe link can expire, limit opens, be stopped any time and carry a masked, watermarked copy.
Which one is for you
Pick DigiSafe
Use DigiSafe to make the copy you send: masked, watermarked and behind a link that stops working.
Pick WhatsApp
Use WhatsApp to talk to people and to send everyday photos, files and voice notes.
Use them together: send the DigiSafe link on WhatsApp, so the chat keeps a link that expires, not your document.
Side by side
Facts about WhatsApp from its own pages, checked 18 September 2026.
Made by
DigiSafe
Kavion Solutions, IndiaWhatsApp
WhatsApp, part of MetaBest for
DigiSafe
Keeping papers and sharing copiesWhatsApp
Chats, calls and quick sharingEnd-to-end encrypted
DigiSafe
Yes, in your vault and behind linksWhatsApp
Yes, chats including documentsAfter it arrives
DigiSafe
They open a link, which can then stopWhatsApp
The file stays in their chatSaved to their phone
DigiSafe
Only if they download itWhatsApp
Media saves to their photos by defaultMake it expire
DigiSafe
Link ends after 2 minutes to 7 daysWhatsApp
Disappearing chats: 24 hours, 7 or 90 daysLimit how often it opens
DigiSafe
Once, 3 or 10 timesWhatsApp
View once, for photos, videos and voice messagesTake it back
DigiSafe
Stop the link any timeWhatsApp
Delete for everyone, within two daysForwarding
DigiSafe
Add a 4-digit code, so the link alone will not openWhatsApp
Messages can be forwarded to other chatsHide Aadhaar digits for you
DigiSafe
The first 8 digits and the QR codeWhatsApp
No automatic masking
WhatsApp's encryption is real
WhatsApp messages, photos and documents are end-to-end encrypted. Nobody outside the chat, not even WhatsApp, can read them. That is good, and it is not the weak point. The weak point is what happens on the other phone.
What happens after it arrives
By default, media you download in WhatsApp is saved to your phone's photos. A chat backup can hold it too, and it can be forwarded. Delete for everyone only works within two days, and the other person may have seen or saved it by then.
Disappearing and view once help a little
Disappearing messages clear a chat after 24 hours, 7 days or 90 days. View once covers photos, videos and voice messages, so a PDF sent as a document stays in the chat. Neither hides your Aadhaar number or says what the copy is for.
Send a link instead of the file
In DigiSafe, hide the first 8 digits, stamp "Only for Rent agreement" and the date, then create a link that stops after a day or after one open. Paste it into WhatsApp as usual. Once they open it, they can still screenshot or download it, so share only what the job needs.
How we checked
Fair, sourced and dated.
Every fact about WhatsApp on this page comes from its own official pages, listed here. We last checked them on 18 September 2026. Products change, so check the official page before you decide.
Questions people ask
Is it safe to send Aadhaar on WhatsApp?+
The sending is safe, because WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted. The risk comes after, because the copy stays on the other person's phone. Send a masked copy, or better, a link that expires.
Can I delete a document I sent on WhatsApp?+
You can use Delete for everyone within two days of sending. The other person may have seen or saved it already, and on iPhone, media you sent may stay in their Photos.
Does WhatsApp view once work for documents?+
WhatsApp's view once is for photos, videos and voice messages. Even then, WhatsApp notes that someone can photograph the screen with another device before it disappears.
Can I send a DigiSafe link on WhatsApp?+
Yes. Paste it into any chat. The other person opens it in a browser, with no app or account, and the link stops working when it expires or when you stop it.
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Give your papers a proper home. Free, and locked.
DigiSafe is free, encrypted on your device, and it works offline.