WhatsApp “Silence Unknown Caller” Feature To Help Fight Spam Calls And Video Chats?

WhatsApp has been facing a lot of flak due to the rising number of spam calls and requests for text and video chats from unknown numbers. The internet-based instant messaging is now offering a rather rudimentary feature to combat the growing nuisance.

WhatsApp users will now be able to silence any call from an unknown number. Let's check out what the "Silence Unknown Caller" feature does and how it may help users stay protected from spam calls and requests for video chats on WhatsApp.

WhatsApp Gets Silence Unknown Caller Feature

WhatsApp users, especially in India, have been increasingly battling a barrage of spam calls and requests for video chats. These dubious calls almost always had an international number.

Even officials from the Indian government took note of this growing menace. Meta, the current owner of WhatsApp, agreed to develop solutions. WhatsApp was supposed to come up with solutions that relied on Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence to spot and block spam calls.

Instead, WhatsApp has now offered a new feature that lets users of the instant messaging platform mute calls from unknown numbers. In other words, calls originating from a number that is not a stored contact will be muted.

WhatsApp claims once the feature is turned on, the feature will not ring a user's phone call whenever someone unknown calls them directly on the app. However, after the call is cut or disconnected automatically, the number will be visible on the call logs. WhatsApp claims that visibility is important because it can allow users to check if it was important or not.

How To Turn On the Silence Unknown Caller Feature In WhatsApp?

It is important to note that the Silence Unknown Caller feature will mute all calls from unknown numbers. This setting cannot be fine-tuned for specific numbers or area codes.

To enable the Silence Unknown Caller feature, follow these steps:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the Settings option.
2. Find the Privacy option and open the Call section.
3. Tap on it and find the Silence Unknown Caller Option.
4. Turn the toggle On.

Meta claims WhatsApp will automatically screen out spam, scams, and calls from unknown people. This will have to be implemented soon simply because indiscriminately muting all calls from all unknown numbers isn't a permanent, reliable, or even recommended solution.

There has been a growing number of users who have complained they were receiving calls from unknown international numbers. Most of these calls were from Vietnam, Indonesia, and other countries.