WhatsApp develops call-screening feature for Android

WhatsApp is developing an intelligent call-screening feature for Android designed to help users manage calls from unknown numbers. The tool aims to bridge the gap between completely silencing unrecognized callers and being interrupted by spam, allowing users to identify legitimate contacts like delivery drivers or medical professionals without answering every call.

Detected in beta version 2.26.41.4, the feature will offer three distinct modes:

1. Never: Disables all filtering, allowing all calls to ring normally. 2. Silence: Mutes unknown callers without ringing, logging them in the call history. 3. Screen: The app automatically answers the call and asks the caller to state their name and reason for calling.

Once the caller responds, WhatsApp will generate a live, private transcript of the response directly on the user's device. To prioritize privacy, the transcription is processed locally using on-device language packs rather than being sent to external servers, ensuring end-to-end encryption remains intact. The feature is currently in development and does not yet have a confirmed release date for the general public.