WhatsApp, the widely used messaging platform owned by Meta, remains committed to enhancing user privacy. The latest update (version 2.23.18.15) available through the Google Play Beta Program highlights the app’s dedication to safeguarding user information and ensuring their privacy.
As per reports from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp had previously introduced the “silence unknown callers” feature, allowing users to mute calls from unfamiliar contacts to bolster call privacy. The recent update unveils a novel privacy relay feature designed for calls.
This new privacy relay feature for calls operates by rerouting calls through WhatsApp’s servers, thereby concealing the user’s IP address and thwarting attempts to ascertain location information by call participants. However, this approach might slightly impact call quality due to encryption. The feature strives to deliver secure calls, providing protection against location tracking through call data. Nonetheless, it does present the challenge of maintaining a balance between privacy and call quality.
Currently, the privacy relay feature is undergoing testing within a limited group of beta users. It is slated to expand its testing to a broader audience in the near future, with expectations of a stable version being rolled out eventually.
Apart from the privacy relay, WhatsApp is actively developing various intriguing features. These include the ability to respond to status updates using avatars, sharing photos and videos in their original quality, and an improved interface for making calls.
