WhatsApp Announces New Feature That Will Allow Users To Privately Save Contacts Within App
WhatsApp has announced a new feature aimed at improving how users manage contacts across devices.
WhatsApp announced in a blog post on Tuesday that the chat app will first allow you to update your contacts list via the service’s web and Windows applications, with plans to expand to additional associated devices later.
Previously, the messaging program relied on users’ phone contacts, but the latest upgrade now allows contacts to be kept within WhatsApp itself.
WhatsApp stated that it created a new encrypted storage technology called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS) to enable safe contact saving.
When a user saves a contact, the system produces an encryption key on their device.
The retrieval process is predicated on the client confirming its primary device identification.
Contacts can currently only be managed on the primary phone associated with a WhatsApp account, but the expansion to other devices should provide more flexibility.
Contacts you save to WhatsApp will be restored in case you ever lose your phone or change devices.
“These updates will also make it possible to eventually manage and save contacts by usernames.
“Usernames on WhatsApp will add an extra degree of privacy so that you don’t need to share your phone number when messaging someone.
“Today’s just one crucial step to making that reality possible and we’ll have more to share when it’s ready,” the blog post read.
WhatsApp is now adding the ability to save contacts straight to the service, which the company claims would be useful when one phone is shared with others or when managing personal and business WhatsApp accounts.
We earlier reported that WhatsApp is about to launch a new feature that will include voice chat capabilities for its AI chatbot.
