Amid the rise of scam calls, WhatsApp has finally added the highly anticipated feature to help users deal with it. The latest update to the instant messaging app will allow users to silence callers who are not saved in their contacts automatically. Users can enable the new option by going to the Privacy section in the Settings of WhatsApp and selecting Silence Unknown Callers. This will ensure that calls from unknown numbers are not ringing on the user’s phone but will be visible in the WhatsApp Call Log so that users can check if it is someone important calling.
According to a WhatsApp press release, the company has heard feedback from its more than 500 million Indian users about spam or scam calls and messages from international numbers that are not in their contact list. The WhatsApp team has been working hard to address this issue and is rolling out the call-silencing feature to respond to these concerns. The Meta-owned social media app claims that the new feature will provide additional protection for WhatsApp users and will help reduce spam and scams on WhatsApp by at least 50 percent.
WhatsApp CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of this call-silencing feature on Tuesday. “With the new ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ feature, you can get more control over who can call you on WhatsApp,” he said in a Facebook post. “When the feature is enabled, WhatsApp will automatically screen out calls from unknown people so you don’t receive a ring on your phone, but they will still appear in your call history so that you can check whether it was important.”
Over the next few weeks, the latest privacy features are being rolled out to all Android and iOS devices globally. In addition, to call silencing, WhatsApp is also introducing a device verification feature that will help protect users from malware or account takeover attacks. The service will require all new devices connecting to WhatsApp to authenticate with a verified mobile number. This will prevent malicious apps from hijacking a user’s WhatsApp account and sending unsolicited messages.
In the future, WhatsApp may also introduce self-destructing messages for users who want additional security and privacy. These messages will only remain available for 24 hours and automatically delete themselves. The messaging giant recently conducted a privacy study of its global users and found that 72% valued speaking openly with friends and family.
Other recent features of WhatsApp include disappearing messages for individual conversations, device verification, and group admin controls. In addition, WhatsApp’s recent enforcement of spam and scam calls should reduce such incidents by at least 50 percent. This will be achieved through a combination of steps, including increased artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect suspicious activity, better automated spam blocking, and improved user-reporting systems. Users can report spam or scam calls to WhatsApp by using the reporting options within the app.
