WhatsApp Tests New ‘Strict Account Settings’ Feature to Enhance User Protection Against Cyberattacks

According to reports, WhatsApp is getting ready to launch a new security feature that would provide extra defence for users who might be more vulnerable to hacking or targeted cyberattacks. The most recent WhatsApp beta for iOS on TestFlight has a new feature named "Strict account settings", which can be accessed under Privacy > Advanced, as WABetaInfo initially reported. If users think they could be the target of nefarious actors, the functionality might enable them to activate a "set of extreme protections".

More Secure Conversation Just a Click Away for WhatsAppers

Enabling the mode will probably automatically apply a number of restrictions meant to protect users' accounts, according to WhatsApp's description. These include restricting who can call or message, locking specific settings to stop unauthorised modifications, and preventing media and attachments from unknown senders.

Additionally, the business cautions that turning on the feature could lower the quality of calls and messages. WABetaInfo states that when the mode is used, a number of other privacy settings will be automatically modified in addition to the ones mentioned on the splash screen. Unknown calls can be silenced, group invites can only be sent to known contacts, link previews can be disabled, users can be notified when the encryption code changes, two-step verification can be enabled, and personal information can be concealed from unknown numbers.

New WhatsApp’s Setting Simplifies the Entire Security Ecosystem

The new mode streamlines the process by automatically implementing all of these protections at once, even though the majority are previously available individually within WhatsApp's settings. For people who might be more susceptible to online threats, like journalists, activists, or public personalities, this could be very helpful.

The new feature has no official release date as of yet, and like earlier beta innovations, it can take some time until all iOS and Android users can access it. WhatsApp's most recent attempt to improve user safety in the face of mounting worries about phishing, account takeovers, and other types of online abuse is the implementation of Strict Account Settings.