WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps globally, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of the useful features of WhatsApp is the ability to silence unknown contacts – contacts not in your address book whose messages will be archived automatically. This prevents unwanted messages from strangers. However, there has been some confusion around whether this feature works for calls in addition to messages. In this article, we’ll examine if and how the silence unknown callers feature works on WhatsApp.
Overview of Silence Unknown Callers on WhatsApp
The silence unknown callers feature on WhatsApp allows you to automatically archive new messages from numbers not already saved in your phone’s address book. This stops you from being disturbed by unwanted messages from strangers.
For calls, there is no specific setting to silence unknown callers. However, WhatsApp does have a separate call blocking feature that prevents any calls from numbers not in your contacts from ringing through.
So in summary:
- For messages: Unknown contacts are automatically archived
- For calls: Calls from unknown numbers can be blocked
Next, we’ll take a more in-depth look at how each of these features work.
How Message Silencing Works on WhatsApp
Silencing unknown contacts for messages is enabled by default on WhatsApp. When activated, if you receive a message from a number not saved in your phone’s contacts, the following will happen:
- You will not receive a notification for the new message
- The message will be automatically archived
- The chat will show up under the Archived Chats section in your app
To view archived messages, you need to go to Settings > Chats > Archived. Here you can read any messages received from unsaved numbers.
If you want to take any unknown contact out of archived chats, all you need to do is add the number to your phone’s address book. Once saved as a contact, their messages will no longer be auto-archived.
You can also turn off this setting completely if you don’t want messages from unknown numbers to be archived. Here is how to disable it:
- Open WhatsApp Settings
- Go to Account > Privacy
- Turn off ‘Archive Unknown Contacts’
With this setting toggled off, you will receive notifications for new messages even from unsaved numbers.
Blocking Calls from Strangers on WhatsApp
When it comes to calls, WhatsApp does not have a specific ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ feature. However, you can stop calls from strangers by using the separate call blocking setting:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Blocked Contacts
- Toggle on ‘Block Unknown Contacts’
Enabling this will stop any calls from numbers not already saved in your address book from ringing through. The caller will hear a disconnected tone indicating the call did not go through.
You can also use the Blocked Contacts screen to manually block specific numbers from calling and messaging you on WhatsApp, even if saved in your contacts.
So in summary, while WhatsApp does not have a single ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ option, its call blocking settings can prevent unwanted calls from strangers.
Does Silence Unknown Callers Work on WhatsApp Business?
WhatsApp also offers a separate app called WhatsApp Business for small businesses to communicate with customers. This has all the same messaging features and settings as regular WhatsApp.
Therefore, on WhatsApp Business you can:
- Silence unknown contacts to have their messages archived
- Block calls from numbers not in your contacts
The process to enable each is the same as on regular WhatsApp. So the silence unknown callers capability is fully functional for both messages and calls on WhatsApp Business as well.
WhatsApp Call Blocking on iPhone vs Android
The capability to block calls from unknown numbers works similarly on both iPhone iOS and Android devices.
However, there is one key difference:
- On Android you can block calls at the device level as well as specifically within the WhatsApp app
- On iPhone call blocking needs to be handled within WhatsApp, as iOS does not allow third-party apps like WhatsApp to access device-level call blocking features
So Android allows for more flexibility in implementing unknown call blocking across different apps. But on both platforms, enabling the setting within WhatsApp itself will prevent unwanted calls.
Does Silencing Unknown Contacts Apply to WhatsApp Groups?
WhatsApp’s archive unknown senders setting only applies to one-on-one chats from numbers not in your phone’s contacts. It does not apply to group messages.
You will still receive notifications and messages from any WhatsApp group you are added to, even if created and added by someone not in your contacts.
The only way to avoid group messages is to block the specific user who added you. This will prevent them from adding you to additional groups.
Pros and Cons of Silencing Unknown WhatsApp Contacts
Here are some key advantages and disadvantages to enabling the options to silence or block unknown contacts on WhatsApp:
Pros
- Avoids disturbance from unwanted spam messages or calls
- Saves time by not having to review or delete unnecessary chats
- Prevents unknown senders from getting your personal number if you’ve shared your WhatsApp info publicly
Cons
- May miss important messages if they come from new contacts not in your address book
- Need to manually check archived chats for any messages you want to follow up on
- Caller may think your number is invalid if calls are blocked
So while it adds an extra step to check the archives, the benefits often outweigh the downsides for privacy and reducing disruptions.
Conclusion
In summary:
- WhatsApp has options to silence unknown contacts’ messages as well as block calls
- For messages, enabling ‘Archive Unknown Contacts’ will skip notifications and auto-archive chats from unsaved numbers
- For calls, you can block incoming calls from anyone not in your phone’s contacts
- These capabilities work on both regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business
- The features provide useful control over communications from people not in your address book
So while not a single “silence unknown callers” setting, using WhatsApp’s combined message archiving and call blocking features can effectively minimize disturbances and nuisance contact from strangers. Just be aware you may need to occasionally check your archived messages for important chats that get filtered out inadvertently. With a few adjustments, you can take control over your WhatsApp communications.