Meta-owned WhatsApp is rolling out a new option on Android and iOS to make it harder for hackers to infer users' location by protecting their IP address in calls. With this new 'protect IP address in calls' feature, users will get to add an extra layer of security to their calls by protecting their IP address and location from malicious actors, reports WABetaInfo. 

Besides allowing users to create AI-generated stickers, WhatsApp is also working on something much more serious. The Meta-owned instant chat messaging platform is planning a new privacy feature that will make IP tracking a lot more difficult to achieve. 

India is witnessing a surge in cyber fraud cases and one of the most vulnerable platforms to these scams is WhatsApp. With millions of active users, the Meta-owned instant messaging app is becoming common ground for scammers to spread their tricks. So, to protect users, Meta is working on a new security feature that will allow users to block their location from being tracked down using their IP address during a call. 

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp previously introduced the silence unknown callers feature, allowing users to mute calls from unfamiliar contacts to enhance call privacy. The latest update reveals a new privacy relay feature for calls. 

The toggle states that enabling it would make it more difficult for people to infer your location from your message, and it goes on to explain how WhatsApp would accomplish this task. It's also worth mentioning that it's likely that this feature will remain an opt-in feature that will not be used too often because the quality of users calls would be sacrificed to have this extra layer of security. 

WhatsApp is yet to confirm when the toggle will be available on the stable version, which is expected by the end of the year, but it intends to make it available to all users in the future. However, the company has not yet confirmed the exact date when the toggle will be available on the stable version of the app. 

Using the new IP address protection feature, users can protect their location information during a call, which makes it harder for those they are communicating with to pinpoint their precise location, thus increasing the privacy of their location information during a call. This feature is not yet available on WhatsApp. 

Wabetainfo noticed it during testing and it was first observed in the WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.18.15 update, but has not been officially announced yet. This means that an upcoming update to the app is likely to include it. 

It seems to us that this privacy safeguard applies to both voice and video calls, as there is no mention that it is limited to voice calls. According to WhatsApp's support page, both calls as well as texts or media that are sent via the platform are protected by end-to-end encryption, which is used to make sure none of the information is disclosed to the wrong parties. 

Overall, it is positive news to hear that WhatsApp is doing its utmost to improve user security, which is especially pertinent given that Meta Platforms has long been accused of neglecting user privacy. In the meantime, WhatsApp has announced that it will now offer a feature called "Silence Unknown Callers" in its settings menu.

Introducing the new feature in an official blog post of Meta, a company that announced it. It revealed the feature would give users more control and privacy over their incoming calls through the "Silence Unknown Callers" feature. For enhanced protection on the platform, the feature will screen out spam, scams, and phone calls from unknown people automatically. 

It has been announced that Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta, will be releasing a new privacy feature on WhatsApp that allows users to automatically silence incoming calls from unknown contacts, as a more secure means of maintaining privacy and control. 

The new feature, which can be turned on or off, will silence incoming calls from unknown numbers once it is turned on. However, WhatsApp continues to show the call history in the call list tab and notifications so that users are not left out of important calling opportunities.