WhatsApp was granted a patent for screen locking during video calls.

{
  "signal_id": "5be00889-4627-5296-a725-283290ce6af8",
  "signal_type": "patents-company",
  "signal_subtype": "patentGrant",
  "detected_at": "2026-09-30T17:18:49+00:00",
  "company": {
    "name": "WhatsApp",
    "domain": "whatsapp.com"
  },
  "data": {
    "cpc": [
      {
        "code": "G06F 21/36",
        "label": "Electric digital data processing"
      }
    ],
    "tags": [
      "Intellectual Property",
      "Research & Development",
      "Mobile Devices",
      "Communications"
    ],
    "detail": "In September 2026 WhatsApp patented a mobile video-calling feature that keeps the call visible while preventing accidental touch inputs on the device.",
    "summary": "WhatsApp was granted a patent for screen locking during video calls.",
    "event_at": "2026-09-29",
    "inventors": [
      {
        "name": "Neeraj Narang",
        "status": "resolved",
        "is_primary": true,
        "linkedin_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/neerajnn"
      },
      {
        "name": "Yu-Hsuan Wang",
        "status": "unresolved",
        "is_primary": false
      }
    ],
    "tech_area": "software / computing",
    "event_kind": "grant_date",
    "grant_date": "2026-09-29",
    "source_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12748832",
    "cpc_primary": {
      "code": "G06F 21/36",
      "label": "Electric digital data processing"
    },
    "patent_title": "Screen lock during video call",
    "patent_number": "US12748832",
    "uspto_assignee": "WhatsApp LLC",
    "patent_abstract": "A method for locking a touch-screen of a mobile device for a video conference application is provided. The method includes receiving, from a user of a client device, a request to lock a screen in the client device during a video conference call, locking the screen in the client device, in response to the request, and providing a video stream of the video conference to the user in the screen of the client device. A system including a memory storing instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to perform the above method is also provided.",
    "precision_class": "structural",
    "invention_explanation": "A way to lock a phone’s touch screen during a video call while continuing to show the incoming video.",
    "technologies_mentioned": [
      "video calling",
      "mobile devices",
      "touch-screen controls"
    ]
  }
}

curl https://signals.autobound.ai/v1/signals/5be00889-4627-5296-a725-283290ce6af8 \
  -H "X-API-KEY: $AUTOBOUND_API_KEY"

curl -X POST https://signals.autobound.ai/v1/companies/enrich \
  -H "X-API-KEY: $AUTOBOUND_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"domain":"whatsapp.com","limit":20}'