WhatsApp now lets you save contacts directly in the app
WhatsApp has unveiled a handy new feature, one that lets you store contacts directly within the app. The update ensures that even if you lose your phone or connect a new device to your primary number, all contacts saved in WhatsApp will be accessible via cloud storage. Previously, the app used to sync with the phone's contact book to identify users on the platform.
Cross-platform contact storage now available
The new feature allows you to store contacts on any device - WhatsApp for the web and Windows. You also get an option to sync contacts saved within WhatsApp with your phone. This update comes after last year's introduction of a feature that allowed users to run two WhatsApp accounts on a single device.
WhatsApp ensures secure contact storage with IPLS
To make sure that your contacts are stored securely, WhatsApp has created a new encrypted storage system, Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS). When a user saves a contact, an encryption key is generated on the device. The information can only be retrieved if the client authenticates its primary device identity. Also, with Cloudflare, the app will sign any changes to cryptographic properties of a user's directory to prevent unauthorized editing of saved contacts.
Username-based contact saving teased
WhatsApp has also teased the option to save contacts via usernames, a feature that would make the app more private by not requiring you to share your phone number. "Usernames on WhatsApp will add an extra degree of privacy so that you don't need to share your phone number when messaging someone," the company said in a blog post. WABetaInfo first reported this development in May 2023, adding that WhatsApp's competitors like Signal and Telegram already offer similar features.
