WhatsApp is working on a key feature that will effectively enhance user privacy while accepting video calls. This much-required functionality will grant more choices to the users during video calls on the popular messaging app. This latest upgrade can prove to be a game-changer, especially for those people who are not very camera-friendly and get panicked while answering calls on their smartphones.

WhatsApp: Making Calls Secure

Presently, the front camera of your handset automatically turns on whenever there is notification regarding a video call on WhatsApp. There is no way to accept the call with your camera turned off. The only available option is to first accept the call and then turn off the camera from the menu.

This often makes it difficult for people, especially when they receive an unwanted or unexpected video call on their smartphones.

According to Android Authority, WhatsApp is now testing a key feature that will provide users the ability to turn off the camera on their devices before picking up a call. This was spotted during an APK update of the beta app for Android version 2.25.7.3.

WhatsApp Scams On The Rise

The feature is yet to me made available for the users, but the news outlet was able to activate it while tinkering with the application.

It offers the option, called “Turn off your video," whenever a video call is received on the device. This enables the users to turn off the front camera even before the call starts, meaning that the call gets accepted in voice-only mode.

When the camera is off, it will also showcase an “Accept without video" prompt, ensuring that the user starts the video call without being seen by the person on the other end.

The report suggests that people will always have the option of “Turn on your video" mid-way during the call. If it rolls out soon, this feature can prove to be a major security upgrade and a major boost to privacy. This comes amid multiple reports of “sextortion" and other types of scams that are used by scammers to exploit the video call option on WhatsApp to blackmail users.

Earlier, there have been instances of people getting trapped by scammers on video calls as they displayed explicit content and took screenshots with the victim's face to threaten the person to extort money.