The world’s most used messaging application, WhatsApp, is looking to add a new feature that would allow users to silence calls from unknown numbers with a simple toggle in the app’s settings.
While millions of people use WhatsApp to stay in touch with loved ones, one of the downsides of the app’s popularity is the influx of spam and telemarketing calls. Currently, there is no built-in feature to silence calls from unknown numbers. However, WhatsApp is working on a solution to this issue.
As shared by WABetaInfo, the feature was first spotted in-development two months ago. Now, with the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.10.7 update, the feature seems to be available and rolling out to some beta testers.
In the WhatsApp Beta app, the toggle to silence unknown callers is located in Settings > Privacy. Enabling this toggle will silence calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts. However, the calls will still appear in the Calls tab, which would allow users to identify a person they know but whose number isn’t saved in their contacts yet.
WABetaInfo notes that this feature would be especially useful for admins of WhatsApp Communities, whose phone numbers are always visible, and who are often spammed with messages and calls. It is currently unclear when the feature will be rolled out to the stable version of WhatsApp for Android.
Image credit: WABetaInfo
Source: WaBetaInfo
