WhatsApp now lets you hide your location from other parties on call

NEW DELHI: Meta-owned WhatsApp has added a new 'Protect IP Address in Calls' option that helps hide your location from other parties on the call.

The new option hides your IP address from the other party by relaying calls through WhatsApp Servers, ensuring that other parties in the call cannot see your IP and subsequently deduce your general geographical location.

"Most calling products people use today have peer-to-peer connections between participants. This direct connection allows for faster data transfers and better call quality, but it also means that participants need to know each other’s IP addresses," WhatsApp said in a blogpost on Wednesday.

"IP addresses may contain information that some of our most privacy-conscious users are mindful of, such as broad geographical location or internet provider," it added.

According to the company, this new feature provides an additional layer of privacy and security particularly geared towards their most privacy-conscious users.

When using call relaying, the company mentioned that users might find the call quality reduced and also emphasised that "your calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted. No one, not even WhatsApp, can listen to them".

To access this setting, go to Settings, then Privacy, after that click on Advanced, and there you can turn Protect IP address in calls on or off.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp's head Will Cathcart has reportedly said that the popular messaging platform could show ads in Status, the platform’s Stories-like feature, and channels but not in the main inbox.

In an interview with Brazilian media, Will Cathcart said the company is not planning to put any ads in your main chat but can show ads in other places, reports TechCrunch.