WhatsApp is developing a new safety feature called Scam Alert designed to flag suspicious messages from unknown contacts before users respond.

The feature was discovered in WhatsApp’s Android beta build (version 2.26.22.2) by WABetaInfo. It is still under development and has not been rolled out to users or beta testers.

Online scams have become a growing problem across messaging platforms, and WhatsApp, with over 3 billion users globally, remains one of the most targeted apps. This update is part of a broader push to reduce scam exposure at the point of first contact, before conversations escalate.

How Scam Alert will work

When a message arrives from an unknown number, WhatsApp will automatically analyse the content directly on the user’s device.

If the message is flagged as suspicious, a warning banner will appear inside the chat window. The warning will indicate that the message may be a scam and encourage caution before responding.

At that point, users will be presented with two clear options. They can either block and report the sender immediately or ignore the warning and continue the conversation.

The key point is timing. Instead of reacting after harm is done, WhatsApp is trying to introduce a pause before users engage.

The company is positioning this as privacy-preserving, since end-to-end encryption remains intact. WhatsApp does not access or store message content during the scanning process.

The system is similar to other on-device features such as voice message transcription, where processing happens locally without external server involvement.



Sender remains unaware of detection

One of the design choices is that senders will not know when a message has been flagged.

This is important because scam tactics often evolve when bad actors realise they are being detected. By keeping detection invisible, WhatsApp avoids giving scammers feedback that could help them adapt.

Scam Alert will not be enabled by default. Users will need to manually activate it in settings.

Once turned on, it will run silently in the background, scanning incoming messages from unknown contacts and flagging potential risks when necessary.

This approach gives users control while avoiding forcing the feature on everyone.

Still in development stage

Despite appearing in Android beta code, Scam Alert is not yet available for testing.

WhatsApp has not confirmed a rollout timeline. However, the presence of the feature in the beta build suggests active development is ongoing.

Android is expected to receive the feature first once testing begins. A wider rollout to iOS has not been confirmed.