WHATSAPP has a special setting that stops a sinister text attack that crashes your phone.
The clever feature is built into the app for free – but it’s switched off by default.
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Thankfully it’s very easy to turn on if you know where to look.
The feature is called Block Unknown Account Messages, and WhatsApp calls it “an advanced security measure”.
It’s meant to stop a “high volume” of unknown messages from reaching your phone.
This won’t stop regular texts, but it’ll shut out a massive spam-text campaign designed to crash your phone.
With enough spam messages, your phone can slow right down or even stop working entirely.
It’s unlikely (though not impossible) that this would come from a contact – and is far likelier to happen via an unknown number.
WhatsApp explains: “You can block high volumes of unknown messages to help protect your account and improve device performance.
“If Block Unknown Account Messages is turned on, WhatsApp will block messages from unknown accounts when they exceed a high volume.”
The message-blocking “stops after message rates return to normal”, according to WhatsApp.
HOW TO BLOCK WHATSAPP SPAM ATTACK
WhatsApp might actually prompt you to turn the feature on if you’re receiving “a high volume of unknown messages”.
But you can also turn it on manually.
With an iPhone, just go to Settings > Privacy > Advanced, and then turn on Block Unknown Account Messages.
On Android, tap on the three-dot menu icon, then choose Settings > Privacy > Advanced, and activate Block Unknown Account Messages.
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And for WhatsApp Web, click on the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy > Advanced, and then toggle on Block Unknown Account Messages.
It’s important to note that activating this feature won’t block all unknown messages.
WhatsApp will only block spam messages coming in large numbers – which is typically an attempt to crash your phone.
You can also turn off this feature at any time by following the steps above.
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CHECK YOUR PRIVACY
If this setting has got you thinking about your WhatsApp safety, there’s another feature you should check out.
It’s called the Privacy Checkup – and it does exactly what you’d imagine.
“Privacy checkup allows you to choose the right level of protection for you,” WhatsApp explained.
“It allows you to access step-by-step guidance to help strengthen the security of your account and customize your privacy settings all in one place.”
HOW DOES BLOCKING ON WHATSAPP WORK?
Here are the official rules from WhatsApp…
When you block a contact, they can’t call you or send messages to you.
If you block someone and change your phone number but keep the same WhatsApp account, those contacts will stay blocked.
But if you set up a new WhatsApp account, you’ll need to block those people again.
If you block someone, they won’t be removed from your contacts list.
And it won’t remove you from their contacts list either.
If you think you’ve been blocked, here’s WhatsApp’s official list of clues that you have…
- If a person has blocked you, you will not be able to see their message read confirmation (double blue check mark). You will still be able to see message sent confirmations (single gray check mark).
- You can’t see the contacts’ statuses.
- You don’t see updates to a contact’s profile photo.
- Any messages sent to a contact who has blocked you will only show one gray check mark to show the message was sent. They won’t show a second check mark.
- Any calls you attempt to place will not go through.
- You can’t add them to a group if you’re a group admin.
- You can no longer see a contact’s last seen or online.
However, this isn’t a guarantee that you’ve been blocked – they’re simply signs.
Picture Credit: WhatsApp / The Sun
You’ll be able to adjust who is able to contact you, control the personal info that’s visible to the outside world, make your chats more private, and upgrade your account protections.
It’s also possible to totally ignore most of those changes – but you should go through the checklist and see what works for you.
To find it, go into Settings > Privacy, and then select Privacy Checkup.
You can always re-do the check-up at a later date if you change your mind about some of the features.
And you can tweak any individual privacy features in your regular Settings menu anyway.
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