WhatsApp on Tuesday announced a new feature that will allow users to save contacts within the app. This means that even if you lose your phone or add a new device to your primary number, you’ll still see all your contacts in WhatsApp’s cloud storage.
A new feature introduced by WhatsApp PHOTO: Shutterstock
Until now, WhatsApp relied on the phone’s contact book to sync contacts. If a new person messaged you on the app and you wanted to save their details, the information was stored locally on your device.
The new soon-to-be-released feature lets you store contacts on any device, including WhatsApp for web and Windows. You can also choose to sync contacts saved in WhatsApp with your phone, writes techcrunch.com.
Last year, the company started allowing users to log into two WhatsApp accounts on a single device. Saving contacts linked to a single WhatsApp account is useful if you want to keep your personal and business contacts separate. Additionally, if you share your device with other people, you can maintain your own contact list linked to your number.
WhatsApp said it has developed a new encrypted storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS) to enable secure saving of contacts. When users save a contact, the system generates an encryption key on the device. Recovery is based on the customer authenticating their primary device identity.
Additionally, the app works with Cloudflare to sign any changes to the cryptographic properties of a user’s directory. According to Meta, this step ensures that someone has not edited the contacts saved in WhatsApp.
The company stated that the technology behind the contact storage feature would make it possible to save contacts based on username.
“WhatsApp usernames will add an extra layer of privacy so you don’t have to share your phone number when messaging someone,” the company said in a blog post.
The feature has been in development for some time. In May 2023, a report by WABetaInfo highlighted that WhatsApp was working on introducing usernames into the app. WhatsApp rivals Signal and Telegram both offer a way for users to share their username with someone without sharing their contact details.
