This is one of the simplest features on your iPhone, and also one of the least used, but it should change the way you use your phone, for the better…
It may be the simplest feature on the iPhone, but from an everyday security and privacy perspective, it’s also one of the best. But it’s underused, and a pair of surprise new Android updates from Google shows just how far Apple is.
While there has been intense media coverage of end-to-end messaging for several years now, much less attention has been paid to the equivalent level of security applied to voice and video calls. But it is just as important.
In the United States and Europe, there is usually little reason to fear interception of voice or video calls unless your actions warrant the attention of the state, in which case you are probably taking precautions anyway. But in other parts of the world (Central and Southeast Asia, Russia, Africa, China, and the Middle East) there is more cause for concern.
Journalists, dissidents, lawyers, politicians, and celebrities all have reasons to take digital precautions, and encrypted communications are high on the list. Fortunately, WhatsApp offers an ingenious solution: it already makes hundreds of millions of fully secure voice and video calls every day – billions of minutes end-to-end encrypted.
When you make a call on WhatsApp, you see the same “end-to-end encrypted” label that displays your messages. Last year, the platform went even further, “minimizing attack surfaces and external data processing” by allowing users to mute unknown callers and also offering the option to relay calls through its servers, in place among peers. This prevents other call participants from “seeing your IP address and subsequently deducing your general geographic location.”
While WhatsApp says these recent improvements “reduce the effectiveness of real-world attacks,” it’s only end-to-end encryption that resolves 99% of the risk. The rest is just for the 1% who have real concerns about highly sophisticated adversaries.
WhatsApp isn’t the only option when it comes to fully secure calling: iPhone users can access FaceTime audio or video, as long as they call within Apple’s walled garden. Android users on Google Fi can do the same. Cross-platform, Signal, and Viber are good alternatives to WhatsApp, and Signal also allows users to hide their phone numbers behind a username, which is even better. Ironically, even Facebook Messenger now offers end-to-end encrypted calling.
As with SMS text messages, network communications are encrypted from the sending devices to the network and then from the network to the receiving devices. This means that, at the network level, calls can be intercepted, with more legal than technical protection. It also introduces the risk of possible wireless interception, although this is much more complex than the case before LTE.
As the EFF warns, “While we have urged people to stay away from 2G where possible, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks are also not safe options for voice and text communications… By using these networks, your communications are not safe. protected with end-to-end encryption, which means that anyone who intercepts them, including intermediaries, can see and hear the content of your communication.”
Google’s recent leaked cellular defense update, expected with Android 15, warns users when their phone’s identity could be under surveillance, which could mean a possible interception attempt. That also tells you that the risks are real.
Google’s other recently leaked update, which adds WhatsApp (and other) calls to your dialer, goes some way to closing the gap; but for now, this capability is only on the iPhone.
It is highly recommended to use end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls. And iPhone users can make it ridiculously easy. Apple offers the option to add contacts to your favorites list with WhatsApp, Signal, FaceTime, Teams, or Telegram calls instead of simple cellular connectivity. I would recommend taking advantage of that, although I would avoid Telegram calls, given their more obscure security.
How to add a WhatsApp number (or alternative) to Favorites
@UKZak / iOS 17
In Contacts, click “Add to Favorites,” then “Call,” and then the platform you want to use. You’ll see the corresponding label below the contact’s name in your Favorites list. My recommendation would be to use WhatsApp given its reliability, when it does not crash unexpectedly. The size of the ecosystem matters when making calls.
You can also go to the person in your Contacts app, press and hold “Call,” and then select the app you want to use to make the call. If the person is not in the app, you will receive an error message within the app.
One last thing to keep in mind is data: clearly, this moves calls from cellular connections to data connections, so if you’re on a limited data plan you’ll need to be careful. But for those with a lot of data or when connected to Wi-Fi, it is ideal.
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