WhatsApp rolling out new feature to help protect against scammers’ calls

Popular messaging app WhatsApp will soon have a new feature to help protect against calls from spammers, scammers, and other miscreants.

As the WABetaInfo resource informs, the new function, which is still under development, will enable to block calls from unknown numbers. The user will be able to indicate in the settings that he does not want to receive calls from unknown numbers. In this case, the caller will not receive any notification that his call is not seen or heard; he will hear the call going, but no one will answer him.

The user who has activated this function will not even know about a potentially dangerous call from an unknown subscriber.

However, the user will be able to view the history of missed calls from unknown numbers. If he decides that the missed call does not pose a danger for him or recognizes the number from which he was called, he will be able to call the given number back.

This feature can considerably reduce the effectiveness of malicious activity. Perhaps in some cases, it will also be able to reduce the risk of infecting the smartphone with Pegasus spyware, which can also infiltrate the device during calls itself—including calls to messenger.

The WhatsApp feature to block calls from unknown numbers is currently undergoing internal testing, but it is not even available to beta testers. Initially, this function will appear on Android smartphones, but in the future, most likely, there will be a version for iOS as well.