WhatsApp to Add Noise Cancellation for Calls, Feature Now Rolling Out to Beta Users

WhatsApp is finally addressing one of its most common pain points. Calls made from crowded streets, noisy cafés, or moving vehicles could soon sound a lot clearer. The company has started rolling out a noise cancellation feature for voice and video calls to select beta users, marking a long-awaited upgrade to its calling experience.

What the new feature does

Spotted by WABetaInfo, the feature is designed to automatically filter out background noise in real time, allowing the speaker’s voice to remain clear during calls. This includes common distractions such as traffic, wind, or surrounding chatter. Unlike basic audio tweaks, this is a system-level enhancement built directly into WhatsApp’s calling interface.

In most cases, the feature is enabled by default when a call begins, though users can choose to turn it off from the in-call menu if needed.

How it works

WhatsApp’s noise cancellation works by isolating the user’s voice and suppressing other sounds picked up by the microphone. Importantly, the processing happens locally on the device before encryption, meaning WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption remains unaffected.

There is one catch. The improvement is one-sided. If you enable noise cancellation, the other person hears you more clearly. But their audio will only improve if they also have the feature enabled on their device.

Rolling out in phases

The feature has been spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android (version 2.26.14.1) and is currently available to a limited group of testers. As with most WhatsApp updates, the rollout is gradual. Even beta users may not see it immediately, but availability is expected to expand over the coming weeks.

There is no confirmed timeline yet for a stable release.

Read more: Artemis II Astronauts Took an iPhone 17 Pro Max to Space: How Apple's Flagship Got NASA's Clearance