These minor adjustments will improve WhatsApp’s security and privacy even further.
With more than 2.7 billion users, Meta’s WhatsApp is without a doubt one of the most widely used instant messaging services worldwide. WhatsApp has been steadily improving its features and security protocols to provide its users with the safest possible experience. There are possible hazards, though, much like with any other messaging service.
With features like app lock, end-to-end encryption, and many more, WhatsApp is accessible on iOS, Android, and Whatsapp, making it a safe platform for many types of communication. There are, nevertheless, several approaches to guarantee a secure texting experience.
These five suggestions will increase WhatsApp’s security. The following advice from WhatsApp’s Director of Growth and Privacy, Uzma Hussain, may help shield your account from security lapses:
- Turn on disappearing messages for all chats
Users of WhatsApp have the option to enable disappearing messages, which, after a predetermined amount of time, automatically removes all communications—including multimedia files.Go to Settings > Privacy > Default message time and select a timer, which includes options like 24 hours, 7 days, and 90 days.
- Enable end-to-end encryption for backups
WhatsApp communications are end-to-end encrypted by default. You can make sure that not even cloud storage service providers can access your messages by enabling the same encryption for backups on Google Drive and Apple iCloud.To enable end-to-end encrypted backup, navigate to Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Lock sensitive chats
Use the newly added lock chat option and set a special passcode if you need to keep your chats private.To place a chat behind a passcode, simply navigate to the chat you want to lock, click on the profile name, and choose lock chat.
- Silence Unknown Calls helps with 0-click attacks
Many users also experience cyberattacks using WhatsApp calls; to guard against this, turn on the option to silence unknown callers. The phone will not alert users to a call from an unknown number if this feature is turned on.
Go to Settings > Privacy > Calls, and enable silence unknown callers
- Enable call relay to protect against IP surveillance
A new call relay function that WhatsApp recently released secures IP addresses and makes it difficult for hackers to discover the IP address.
To hide your IP address, go to Settings > Privacy > Calls > Advanced and turn on protect IP address in calls.
These easy tweaks to your WhatsApp account will provide you with real protection against security lapses and hackers.