WhatsApp introduces new ‘Silence Unknown Caller’ feature to silence spam calls, here’s how it works
A new feature has been added to WhatsApp to address the problem of international spam calls, which has generated several user complaints.
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Highlights
- WhatsApp introduces a new feature to automatically silence calls from unknown numbers
- The feature will provide protection against spam calls and unknown callers
- The 'Silence Unknown Callers' feature of WhatsApp is available on iOS and Android
Global messaging app WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that will help users avoid unwanted calls. Users of the meta-owned app can now easily activate an option that mutes calls from unknown callers, if you enable the option through the privacy settings. After successful beta testing, users of Android and iOS smartphones are now able to access the feature's final built version.
What’s this new feature?
WhatsApp has unveiled the ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ feature, which is intended to silent calls from unknown numbers because these calls often come from numbers that are not on the user's contact list.
On 20 June 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, revealed that WhatsApp users will now be able to silence unwanted calls by activating the ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ function in the settings.
By turning on the feature, users won't be bothered by calls from unknown numbers, but the messaging app will still show the call in the notification area and on the app itself. This implies that customers will not miss a call from an unknown individual, the function will just limit annoying noise from strangers by stopping the phone from ringing.
How to activate the 'Silent Unknown Caller’ feature for Android users?
-To activate the feature, open WhatsApp
-Tap on the three-dot menu on the top-right corner, then tap on ‘Setting’ option
-Then choose ‘Privacy’
-Scroll down, tap on the ‘Calls’ option
-Under the ‘Calls’ section, you’ll get ‘Silence unknown Caller’
-Tap to activate the feature
How to activate the 'Silent Unknown Caller' feature for iOS users?
-To activate the feature on iOS, open WhatsApp
-Tap on the gear symbol, then choose the ‘Privacy’ option
-Select the ‘Calls’ option
-Under the ‘Calls’ option, you’ll get ‘Silence unknown Caller’
-Tap on ‘Silence unknown Caller’ to activate the feature
What’s the reason behind the introduction of the feature?
This move comes after several customers in India and other countries complained of receiving spam calls from unidentified numbers.
According to reports, users complained on Twitter that they were getting calls from unknown international numbers from Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar responded by promising that the IT Ministry would notify the messaging service.
In response, WhatsApp said it was stepping up its machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based spam detection systems, which aim to reduce spam and scam calls.
Last month, WhatsApp introduced the ‘Chat Lock’ feature, which enables users to save conversations in a folder that can only be accessed with their device's password or biometric. Users of WhatsApp can hide their most private chats behind an additional layer of protection by using the Chat Lock feature.
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