WhatsApp has added a new privacy feature that allows you to disguise your IP address from anyone who calls you using the encrypted communications app. WhatsApp has just added a new “protect IP address in calls” checkbox to its settings, which protects your IP address from the person on the other end of a call. When enabled, calls will be routed through Meta / WhatsApp servers, masking your genuine IP address.

WhatsApp has just added a new “protect IP address in calls” checkbox to its settings, which protects your IP address from the person on the other end of a call. When enabled, calls will be routed through Meta / WhatsApp servers, masking your genuine IP address.

Does this hamper the call quality?

One-to-one calls on WhatsApp are now established as a direct peer-to-peer connection between users. While this assures the highest possible speech quality, it does necessitate that the connected devices give their IP addresses to one another.

WhatsApp’s servers conceal your location.

According to WhatsApp, the new privacy setting announced works differently by routing all your calls through WhatsApp’s servers to conceal your location rather than connecting you directly to the person you are calling. In a blog post, Meta developers expanded on the feature.

At the same time, all calls transmitted through WhatsApp’s servers remain end-to-end encrypted, ensuring that no one – not even WhatsApp – can listen in.

WhatsApp warns that call quality may suffer before you contemplate activating the new call relay privacy setting. To enable the setting, make sure you have the most recent version of WhatsApp installed, then follow these steps and update the WhatsApp beta version.

How do you access the “protect IP address in calls” setting?

• Tap Settings and Privacy in WhatsApp.
• Select Advanced.
• Toggle on the Protect IP address in the calls switch.

It is worth noting that group calls are always routed through WhatsApp’s servers by default. WhatsApp’s encrypted messaging platform received a Silence Unknown Callers function in June. Like the comparable option in iOS, the function is intended to screen out spam, fraud automatically, and calls from unfamiliar people for added security.