WhatsApp has introduced a new privacy feature for Android beta testers, enhancing protection against unwanted messages from unknown accounts.
The latest update, part of WhatsApp’s series of ‘advanced’ privacy tools, allows users to block messages from unidentified senders under certain conditions. The feature needs to be manually activated and is part of an ongoing effort to safeguard user privacy on the platform.
Upon updating to WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.20.16, users can navigate this new setting by selecting Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Block unknown account messages from the three-dot menu. According to WABetaInfo, this functionality is available for beta testers running the latest Android version, and Gadgets 360 has confirmed its presence in the recent beta release.
WhatsApp describes this new tool as a means to secure users’ accounts and enhance device performance. Once activated, it automatically blocks messages from unknown accounts that exceed a certain threshold, effectively curbing an overload of potentially harmful spam that could impair device functionality.
The feature is only accessible to beta testers, meaning those on the stable release must wait for a broader rollout. Even with the feature active, WhatsApp will allow messages from unknown accounts up to a certain unspecified limit, a detail the company keeps undisclosed to prevent spammers from circumventing the system.
