September 17, 2024, 8:02 am | Read time: 4 minutes

WhatsApp is working on several features to give users more control over their security and privacy. When these measures are rolled out, they should actually be useful.

Find WhatsApp contacts even without a phone number

As reported by “WABetaInfo,” WhatsApp is currently working on a username function similar to that of Instagram and Facebook. In the future, users will be able to give their accounts a unique name. Instead of using their phone number, they can be found and contacted using this name. This will allow WhatsApp users to decide who they want to give their phone number to. Especially for one-off contacts, large groups, or perhaps even before a first date, you can better protect your privacy and specify that this person can only reach you via WhatsApp.

Unwanted phone calls, text messages, or other spam can be avoided more easily by passing on the phone number in a more controlled manner. However, this new function is only aimed at new contacts. It has no effect on existing chats. If the other person already knows your phone number, even without initial contact, they can still see that you are using WhatsApp. However, initial contact is still only possible via the user name if you opt for this feature.

Only send messages with a PIN?

To further strengthen spam protection and privacy control, WhatsApp is also working on a second measure that works in combination with the username. Users will be given the option of setting a PIN of at least four digits. This works like a key between two conversation partners. If you want to contact a person via WhatsApp for the first time, they must first give you this pin. Only after entering the PIN can you write to them using their username.

So, if you want to protect yourself from unwanted spam, you can use this method in the future. However, you should not forget your PIN when exchanging contacts. As the PIN is shared with others, it must not contain personal data such as date of birth, nor must it be assigned to anyone else. The PINs you use to save your chats or the entire app must, therefore, be different from this contact PIN.

As the PIN appears to be the same for every first contact, it is ultimately impossible to prevent chat partners from passing on the user name and PIN to third parties, even with this feature. However, the risk of spam is reduced. Both the PIN and the username are currently under development and are not yet available for beta testers. It is not known when the new functions will be rolled out.

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WhatsApp is working on a spam filter

The third function that WhatsApp is currently developing is an automatic spam filter. In the future, this feature will block unknown accounts whose messages exceed a certain volume. The point at which the filter becomes aware of suspicious messages is not transparent, but it should reduce the risk of phishing attempts and other forms of spam. If a user has already received many spam messages, the filter should also improve the performance of the smartphone again, as less data has to be processed by blocking. This function also only protects on first contact.

As reported by WeBetaInfo, this tool is also still under development. Once it is rolled out, users will have to activate the anti-spam function manually. To do this, open the three-dot menu, select “Settings,” “Privacy,” and finally, the “Advanced” tab. You can already deactivate the link preview here and protect your IP address for calls.

Overall, WhatsApp is offering its users greater control over their privacy vis-à-vis other WhatsApp users with the planned new features. This is an important step towards improving security and the user experience.