14 DAY TRIAL // If you’re a user of WhatsApp, you probably know that a few days ago the much anticipated voice feature was finally made available for all users rocking an Android handset or tablet.
BlackBerry and Tizen users also got the same treatment, but the iOS and Windows Phone masses are still waiting to be updated.
It’s quite puzzling to see BlackBerry users receive this functionality ahead of the iOS and Windows Phone environments, because this particular operating system has a very low marketshare worldwide.
Anyway, apart from the voice feature, it appears WhatsApp is also gearing up to add some extra anti-spam protection. Or at least this is what the screenshots captured by Dutch publication Droid App seem to indicate.
The version of the app showing these new features is 2.12.22, while in our newsroom, everyone had the 2.12.5 version installed with no possibility to update.
WhatsApp to offer better anti-spam protection
In the screenshots we have attached for you below, one can clearly see an “unknown” number initiating a chat. The receiver is then given a choice, either to “Report as spam and block the number” or to “Add the number to the user’s contact list.”
When the first option is chosen, WhatsApp will be notified that this particular number belongs to the Spam folder. You’ll be further asked if you “are sure you want to report and block this contact” (which is a bit paradoxical since the number has not been added to the contact list, so the app shouldn't be calling it “contact”).
It’s not yet known whether WhatsApp will take some measures against numbers that have been highlighted as spam or not.
In any case, this anti-spam feature should be making things in WhatsApp a lot safer than before.
In related news, WhatsApp has just confirmed that WhatsApp Calling for the Windows Phone platform is currently in the works, but no exact ETA has been given yet. All you can do at this point is wait and hope you’ll soon be given the same treatment as people using BlackBerry and Android.
