WhatsApp has added a feature that automatically silences calls from unknown numbers.
This comes after numerous users in India, the country with the most chat app users of more than 500 million voiced complaints about an increase in spam calls over the previous few months.
Mark Zuckerberg unveiled the call-muting tool and a new privacy checkup option on Tuesday.
For even more privacy and control, you can also set WhatsApp to silent incoming calls from unidentified contacts.
Users can activate this feature by using the “Silence unknown caller” option under Settings > Privacy > Calls. While calls from unknown numbers will be immediately disconnected, WhatsApp claimed that they will still appear in alerts and the app’s call list.
Whether you don’t have their phone number saved in your contacts and want to check later to see whether it was from someone you know, you can do this.
When an unknown caller calls you, your phone will just display the caller’s number and the phrase “silenced unknown number.”
Separately, WhatsApp has included a new Privacy section checkup option that can be found there. You will go through a number of phases in the privacy checkup to learn about various privacy options, such as “Choose who can contact you,” “Control your personal information,” “Add more privacy to your chats,” and “Add more protection to your account.”
Through this process, users can modify settings such as two-factor authentication, choose who can add them to groups, set a default duration for messages that disappear, and manage who can view their profile image.