Now the app will give warning before chatting with unknown numbers on WhatsApp, this feature is very useful.

pc: indiatoday

If you’ve ever received a message from an unknown number claiming to be someone you know, you’re not alone, and WhatsApp knows it. The platform is now rolling out a new security feature that shows users a warning before opening a chat with an unknown number, giving them a chance to think twice before connecting with a potential scammer.

According to WABetaInfo, this new feature is coming to both Android and iOS. The warning appears when a user tries to start a conversation with a phone number they’ve never messaged before. It shows where the phone number is registered, whether it’s saved as a contact, and whether both users share any common groups. From there, the user can choose to continue the chat or cancel it entirely, and the other person will not receive any notifications about what was chosen.

Why is this important?
The timing of this warning is what makes it especially useful. Most of WhatsApp’s existing safety features only work once a conversation has started. This new warning is different. It starts working before anything happens, just when scammers are expecting users to act immediately, without thinking.

The way many phone scams work is surprisingly simple. A message comes from an unknown number saying something like, “Hey, it’s me, I’ve got a new number.” Technically nothing has been sent to you that looks suspicious, so there is no need to be immediately alarmed. Scammers rely on this single moment of uncertainty. By throwing up a warning at that very moment — telling you that the number is, say, registered in a completely different country — WhatsApp is actually asking you to stop and verify before doing anything.

It’s not foolproof
Still, this feature isn’t a perfect safety net. If a scammer’s number is already saved in your contacts for any reason, the warning may not appear at all. On the other hand, not every unknown number is a threat. Maybe someone you really know has just changed phones and got a new number.

WhatsApp hasn’t detailed what triggers the warning, but a number registered in another country could be a major factor. If you see a warning pop up, the safest thing to do is to take a moment to read the details carefully. If something goes wrong, there will be no cost to canceling the chat. On the other hand, continuing may cost significantly more.