WhatsApp might finally let you dodge video calls

A new feature has been found in the latest WhatsApp beta version (2.25.7.3 for Android) that gives users the option to turn off their video before accepting a video call.

Right now, when you receive a video call on WhatsApp, your only options are to reject it or accept it and then quickly turn off your video. This is an obvious and pretty annoying infringement on users’ privacy, forcing them to either show their faces or go to the trouble of covering their cameras until they hit the “off” button.

Discovered by Android Authority, the new feature will add a button to the incoming call screen, allowing users to toggle their video on or off before accepting the call. When video is turned off, the app also confirms that your call will start without video by changing the “Swipe up to accept” prompt to “Accept without video.”

This feature won’t just help you hide your bedhead, it will also help protect you from certain kinds of scams. There have been cases where users accept a video call from an unknown caller just to see something illegal or otherwise incriminating on the caller’s video feed.

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People will usually hang up at this point but the damage is already done — the scammer took a screenshot that shows the user’s face and the problematic content together. This screenshot is then used to frighten and blackmail the user into paying a ransom against their will.

There’s no information yet on exactly when this feature will roll out to the public but Android Authority guesses that it won’t take too long.