WhatsApp now lets you mute individual users during group calls

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The ability to mute people during a group call is one of the new features rolled out by the messaging service. If you are in the same room as someone who is on the call and don't want to hear an echo of what they say, this feature is helpful.

Some conferencing apps, like Microsoft Teams, let hosts mute all participants, but they don't offer a way for individual users to do the same. The feature offers a new level of control that is best saved for chaotic meetings that involve up to eight people on video calls or 32 on voice calls.

Some new features for group calls on @WhatsApp: You can now mute or message specific people on a call (great if someone forgets to mute themselves!), and we've added a helpful indicator so you can more easily see when more people join large calls. pic.twitter.com/fxAUCAzrsy

— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) June 16, 2022

If you want to make a note to someone during a meeting or make a joke that won't fly with the rest of the group, you can now message specific people on the app. The new banner will let you know when someone joins a call after it started.

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How to make group calls on WhatsApp

There is more to the service than just group calling. When you were last active on the platform, you can now choose which contacts can see your profile photo, as well as about and last seen status. This could allow you to keep your profile private from professional contacts or anyone who you don't want to have access to. Due to potential privacy implications, last seen status was hidden from strangers.

Last year, the company began allowing users to transfer their conversation data from the phone to the computer in the opposite direction.