There was a time when WhatsApp was used solely for its text messaging feature. If anyone was opening WhatsApp on their device, you’d be certain that they would either respond to a received message or send a new one. Then, in 2015, the social media platform rolled out the voice calling feature, which was followed by a video calling feature five years later.
Today, many WhatsApp users find it more convenient to talk on WhatsApp voice calls, especially those who have a WiFi connection. It is also a cost-effective feature for connecting friends and family overseas.
If you call someone abroad through your SIM card, your service provider will charge a hefty price for it, while the same thing will cost you nothing when done on WhatsApp. With all that being said, it’s not like WhatsApp calls have overcome every problem the regular calls face.
Take the threat of recording, for instance. Those who use iOS devices are safe because they’re notified if anyone tries to record their call, but Android users are mostly defenseless against this practice.
Have you ever wondered about the possibility of call recording on WhatsApp? How can it be prevented on the platform? Does WhatsApp do anything to help users with such threats? If these questions have been crossing your mind lately, we’re going to do our best to put them to rest with our blog. Come, let’s solve this issue together!
Does WhatsApp send you notifications when someone is recording your call?
If you’re worried about your calls being recorded on WhatsApp, don’t you feel WhatsApp is responsible for it? After all, if you’re using the platform for interacting with others, shouldn’t the platform hold some accountability for it? So, let’s figure out what role WhatsApp plays in call recording.
Does WhatsApp send you any notification about someone recording your call? You might find it disappointing, but as of now, WhatsApp has no provision of detecting when a call is being recorded or notifying users about it. However, when it comes to messaging, the platform makes sure that all chats are end-to-end encrypted.
This is a sign that because voice call is relatively newer to the platform, WhatsApp is perhaps working toward making it more secure in the future. You might hear about a call recording detecting feature in the coming years, but for now, we’re afraid it is what it is.
Is It Possible to Know If Someone is Recording Your Call on WhatsApp?
Now that we’ve already established that WhatsApp cannot help you with figuring out when someone might be recording your call, it all comes down to you. You’re now responsible for the privacy of your WhatsApp calls.
Wondering how you can figure out if your call is being recorded? Well, there’s no sure shot method you could employ for it, but we do have some suggestions that could help you with it:
#1: You receive an automated message about the call being recorded
First and foremost, let’s talk about the calls that are meant to be recorded. These are generally calls from the customer support of brands and companies, which are monitored for training and quality purposes.
However, it’s mandatory for the callers to inform the customer about the call being recorded beforehand, either manually or in an automated manner. So, if you hear such a message right before a call starts, know that it is being recorded.
#2: Your voice echoes on the call
Have you ever noticed your voice being echoed on a phone call? Well, they’re several reasons behind this phenomenon, and one of them is your call being recorded.
The main reason behind these issues is with cell reception, but on WhatsApp calling, that won’t happen, as your call will be put on connecting or disconnected altogether when there’s a network issue.
Another reason could be due to talking on speaker, which is also easily solvable. If you’ve checked both these possibilities off your list and can still hear the echo, it is possible that call recording could be causing it.
#3: You hear a chiming sound when the call starts
Most recorders emit a notification sound when they’re turned on and off, often a chime, to tell the user about the function being started. Now, someone who is new at this often makes the mistake of turning on the recording device after they’ve started the call.
Under such circumstances, if you’re on the receiving end of the call, you might hear the chime (or whichever notification sound their device plays) just as well as the next person. Take that as a sign that the call is being recorded!
How to prevent someone from recording your call on WhatsApp
If we’ve learned anything above, it’s that figuring out when your call is being recorded is not easy. Keeping that in mind, it wouldn’t be easy to prevent your call from being recorded as well, would it? Not really, but we’re more focused on what can be done. So, here are some ways you can prevent someone from recording your call on WhatsApp:
#1: Ask them about it upfront
The first and most straightforward method is of using the age-old honest approach. If you’re talking to someone on a WhatsApp call, there’s a good chance that they’re your friends and might not have a destructive motive behind recording the call. Some users even do such things out of habit.
In that case, you could simply ask them not to record any calls from you upfront and expect them to keep their word. However, this could go south easily, which is why we have listed other suggestions below.
#2: Go on a video call to see if they’re holding a recording device
Recording can be done in two ways: by using a recording app on your smartphone and by purchasing a separate physical recorder to do it.
In case someone might be using the latter with you, there’d be a recording device in their hands or lying around them somewhere.
But how would you know that? Easy. As soon as you suspect such a thing, ask to switch to a video call, and then casually scan their surroundings to see if you can find one while talking to them.
#3: Employ the help of a third-party app
This method is for those who use a smartphone call recording app. To counter their act, you can get an app yourself. The anti-spy app that we’re recommending to you is called Wire Tap Detection App.
Available on Google Play Store, this app can detect not only when your call is being recorded but also any hidden app that might have been added to your device with that intention.
Once you install and accept the app permissions, you can let go of all worries about being recorded.
#4: Use a face-masking filter app
As you might already know, video calls can also be recorded these days. In fact, recording them is even easier, using the screen-recording feature that’s currently in-built into most smartphones.
So, if you’re worried someone might record your video call and send it forward, the Effects Video – Filters Camera app can make your life easier. It not only has a collection of face-masking filters to keep you safe, but is also fun to use while talking to friends!
The bottom line
With this, we’ve reached the bottom of our blog. Today, we discussed the threat of call recordings on WhatsApp and figured out what could be done to prevent yourself from it.
Above, we’ve recommended several ways of both figuring out when your call is being recorded and preventing that from happening. Which method did you find most useful? Tell us in the comments below!
Also Read:
