WhatsApp is ramping up its safety measures with a slew of fresh features designed to tackle spam and shield users from potential scammers.
According to a report by WABetaInfo, the messaging giant is currently piloting new ‘safety tools’ designed to protect users when they receive messages from numbers they don’t recognize.
The way it works is this: When you receive a message from a number that isn’t saved in your contacts, or from someone you haven’t interacted with previously, a handy ‘Safety Tools’ pop-up will now appear. This pop-up serves to guide you on the steps you can take when you get a message from an unknown sender. It offers options to block or report the contact, and even provides some useful tips on how to stay secure in chat, such as checking out profile photos, phone numbers, and country codes.
The creative team at WhatsApp has gone one step further, designing a feature that stops unidentified contacts from seeing whether you’ve read their message by turning off the read receipt. This keeps your actions private unless you decide to respond or add the contact to your list.
As of now, these new safety features are available to users who are part of the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.16.6. However, it appears that WhatsApp plans to extend this feature to more users, so if it’s not available on your device yet, sit tight! It might take a few days to reach you.
On another note, WhatsApp recently unveiled support for instant video messages and rolled out a dedicated WearOS app. They’ve also introduced a faster method to shift chats between phones without the need for Google Drive. It’s clear that WhatsApp is keen on enhancing user experience and security, so watch this space for more exciting updates!
