WhatsApp Introduces ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ Feature on iOS and Android

The messaging app WhatsApp is introducing a feature that would shield users from obtrusive calls.

Users of the Meta-owned app can easily activate an option that mutes calls from spam and bothersome callers. The new function is intended to stop calls from unknown numbers from upsetting the user because these calls often come from numbers that are not on the user’s contact list. When any other WhatsApp user, including those not in their contact list, calls them via the app, those who have not enabled this setting will hear their phone ring.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, revealed on Tuesday that WhatsApp users may now block incoming calls from people they don’t know. This suggests that the previously noticed in-development functionality has started to roll out to all users. The setting is present in the most recent stable releases of WhatsApp for Android and iOS, according to Gadgets 360.

Calls from unknown contacts won’t bother users who enable the functionality, but the messaging app will still show the call in the notification area and on the app itself. Users won’t miss any incoming calls as a result; instead, the function will only stop the phone from ringing, lessening the intrusive noise caused by strangers.

Users can turn the Silence Unknown Callers option in the app by tapping the three-dot menu, selecting Settings > Privacy > Calls, and then selecting the feature they want to use. Similar to this, iPhone users can open the settings menu on WhatsApp by tapping the gear symbol, then tap Privacy > Calls, and finally tap the Silence Unknown Callers toggle.

A few months ago, some customers in India and other countries complained of receiving spam calls from unidentified numbers. Now, a function has been released.

According to reports, users complained on Twitter that they were getting calls from ominous numbers coming 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 by at least 50%. Users of the messaging platform should experience fewer annoyances from unauthorized calls thanks to the new feature.