WhatsApp Introduces Enhanced Call Privacy with New IP Masking Feature. In a significant update to its privacy tools, WhatsApp has unveiled a feature that enables users to conceal their IP addresses during calls.
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Meta has announced that with this new security setting, calls on WhatsApp will be rerouted through the app’s servers. Consequently, calls made will not establish a direct connection, thus keeping the user’s IP address hidden from the call recipient.
Traditionally, WhatsApp’s one-on-one calls have utilized a peer-to-peer protocol to ensure quick data transfer and superior call clarity. However, this method exposes users’ IP addresses to one another, potentially allowing the discovery of the user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP) and approximate location, which poses a privacy concern.
By contrast, group calls have always been conducted through WhatsApp’s server infrastructure as a standard measure.
To enable IP address protection, users can navigate to the app’s Settings, select Privacy, then go to Advanced and toggle the “Protect IP address in calls” setting on or off.
While Meta acknowledges that enabling this feature could potentially affect call quality due to the rerouting process, users can rest assured that WhatsApp calls remain end-to-end encrypted, guaranteeing that conversations remain confidential and inaccessible to anyone, including WhatsApp.
Additionally, a feature titled “Silence Unknown Callers” has been introduced as a safeguard against unwanted disturbances, such as spam, scams, and other harmful communications. Users can activate this function to mute calls from unrecognized numbers by going to Settings > Privacy, choosing Calls, and then enabling or disabling the feature as desired.
