Having your smartphone handy at all times often offers advantages, but sometimes some disadvantages. We've all received that WhatsApp video call from a loved one while we're in the shower, at the hairdresser, or just eating like a ravenous man with sauce up to our ears. In short, in one of those moments when picking up to expose your face isn't particularly appropriate.
Until now, the messaging app only gave us two choices in these situations: swipe up to accept the video call, with the immediate effect of triggering the camera (which can then be deactivated); or, dismiss the call as a dirty call – an act of impudence that can have more or less serious repercussions depending on the degree of susceptibility of the unwelcome person. Fortunately, this occasional dilemma will soon be a thing of the past.
Turn a video call into a voice call
Our colleagues at Android Authority have discovered that WhatsApp, which will ultimately not suffer from backdoors, is experimenting with a feature a little less anecdotal than colored conversation bubbles. It allows you to deactivate the camera before accepting the voice call. In other words, before picking up. For now, this option is only offered in beta version 2.25.7.3 of the Android app. The principle isn't very difficult to understand, and the screenshots provided by the source allow you to see its implementation.
Just deactivate the camera via the option of the same name when receiving a video call to transform it into voice-only mode (a priori, only on the receiver side). Where applicable, the term reflects this choice: it is indeed a question of picking up without video in the illustration on the right. This clarification will certainly avoid some carelessness.
Better protection of privacy
As the source writes, beyond Among the few situations in which it is sometimes preferable not to show one's face to friends or family, this feature could also protect against certain scams. The article refers to a November 2023 publication recounting the misadventure of men who, answering a voice call on WhatsApp, discovered a scantily clad caller. The blackmailer then took a screenshot of his victims' faces and then attempted to blackmail them.
The date of the large-scale deployment of this feature remains uncertain. It is likely that the wait will not be very long anymore.
Source: Android Authority
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