Overview
- WhatsApp rolled out a built‑in scam warning for device linking on iOS and Android that flags suspicious link requests and shows rough device location and expected access before a new device is linked.
- The company began rolling out a separate trust warning that pauses users before they open chats with numbers they have never messaged and shows phone‑registration country, contact status, and mutual groups.
- Both features are presented as added friction rather than complete defenses and may not trigger in every case because WhatsApp has not disclosed the exact signals that cause a warning to appear.
- Device‑linking scams typically trick people into entering a verification code or confirming a fake flow so an attacker’s device becomes linked without breaking encryption or passwords.
- Users should enable two‑step verification, regularly check the Linked Devices list, and verify unfamiliar requests by calling known contacts because these warnings reduce risk but do not replace good account hygiene.