Once upon a time, WhatsApp was exclusively used for text messaging. You could be sure that whenever someone opened WhatsApp on their smartphone, they would either reply to a message they had already received or send a brand-new one. The social networking site then launched a phone calling tool in 2015, which was followed five years later by a video calling feature.
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.
Your service provider will charge you much if you use your SIM card to phone someone overseas, but using WhatsApp will cost you nothing. Despite all of this, WhatsApp calls still don’t seem to have solved every issue that arises with conventional calls.
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?
Do you feel WhatsApp is to blame if you’re concerned that your calls may be recorded on the app? After all, shouldn’t the platform have some responsibility for it if you’re utilizing it for interpersonal communication? Let’s investigate WhatsApp’s contribution to call recording.
Do you receive any notifications from WhatsApp when someone records your call? You might find it frustrating, but WhatsApp currently lacks a feature that can identify whether a call is being recorded or alert users to it. However, the platform ensures that all interactions are end-to-end encrypted when it comes to messaging.
This suggests that WhatsApp may be aiming to make voice calls more secure in the future because they are relatively new to the platform. In the upcoming years, a call recording detection function could be included, but for the time being, we’re afraid things are as they are.
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.
Are you interested in learning how to tell if a call is being recorded? Although there isn’t a foolproof approach you might use for it, we do have some recommendations that could be helpful to you:
Tip 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.
Tip 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.
Talking on speaker might be another factor, which is also easily fixed. If you’ve eliminated both of these alternatives but are still hearing the echo, call recording could be to blame.
Tip 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:
Tip 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 such situation, you may only request in advance that they not record any calls you make, and count on them to honor their word. But since things may easily go wrong, we’ve included some alternative recommendations below.
Tip 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.
There would be a recording device in their hands or lying around them somewhere if they were engaging in the latter with you. How would you, however, know that? Easy. Ask to switch to a video conference as soon as you have any suspicions, and while speaking with them, discreetly look around to see if you can spot one.