WhatsApp is rolling out a new privacy feature to help users deal with unknown or spam callers. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced that WhatsApp users will now be able to ignore unknown calls or spam calls by turning on the “Silence unknown callers” feature in Settings.
In its official blog post, WhatsApp revealed that the new “Silence Unknown Callers” feature is designed to give users more privacy and control over incoming calls. This feature will automatically screen spam, scams and calls from unknown people for better security on the platform.
Announcing the new privacy feature, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “You can now automatically silence incoming calls from unknown contacts on WhatsApp for more privacy and control.”
Once the new feature is activated, incoming calls from unknown numbers will be blocked. However, to ensure that users do not miss important calls, WhatsApp will show calls in the call list tab and notifications. Let us see how to enable the new Silence Unknown Callers feature on WhatsApp.
How to silence unknown calls on WhatsApp for Android
- Open WhatsApp and tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
- Tap on “Settings” and open the “Privacy” section.
- Scroll down and tap on “Call”.
- In the “Calls” section, turn off the “Turn off unknown callers” option.
How to silence unknown calls on WhatsApp for iPhone:
- Open WhatsApp and tap on “Settings”.
- Now go to “Privacy” and open the “Calls” section.
- Under the “Calls” section, toggle on the “Silence unknown callers” option.
In addition to the “Silence Unknown Callers” feature, WhatsApp has also introduced “Privacy Checkup” to help users see all the privacy options available on WhatsApp. This step-by-step feature guides users through important privacy settings available on the platform. Users can check their privacy settings by selecting “Start Checkup” in Privacy Settings. It will navigate users through multiple privacy layers that strengthen the security of their messages, calls and personal information.
WhatsApp further emphasizes that protecting user privacy has always been a top priority for the platform. To ensure the security of calls and messages, WhatsApp provides end-to-end encryption as a basic measure. In addition, the platform has recently introduced several additional features to enhance privacy and provide a secure messaging experience:
- Chat Lock: This feature allows users to protect sensitive chats by setting a password to access them.
- Disappearing Messages: With this feature, messages automatically disappear after a set amount of time, adding an extra layer of privacy.
- Blocking screenshots for One View: When using the One View feature, which allows recipients to view media content only once, WhatsApp has implemented measures to prevent screenshots from being taken.
- Online Presence Privacy: Users now have the option to control and customize their online presence, giving them more control over their privacy on the platform.
By offering these features, WhatsApp aims to provide better privacy and secure messaging experience to the users.