By Adedapo Adesanya
WhatsApp has announced a new feature that will allow users to save contacts within the app, eliminating the inconvenience of saving mobile numbers or alternatively using links.
The new feature announced on its blog will make it easier for users, who may have lost their phones or changed their devices to see contacts stored on the WhatsApp cloud, similar to Telegram.
WhatsApp used to rely on the phone’s contact book to sync contacts. So, if a new person messaged on the app, and the user wanted to save their details, the information would be stored locally on their device. This new update set to ship soon eliminates this hassle.
Users will be able to store contacts on any device, including WhatsApp for the web and Windows.
They can choose to sync contacts saved within WhatsApp to their phone as well, WhatsApp said.
In 2023, WhatsApp owned by Meta, rolled out a feature that allows users to log into two WhatsApp accounts on one device.
With this, saving contacts linked to one WhatsApp account will make it easier to keep personal and business contacts separate.
Also, if a user shares the computer with others, they will be able to maintain their contact linked to their number.
This was possible by a new encrypted storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS), built by WhatsApp, which enables it to secure contact saving. When users save a contact, the system generates an encryption key on the device. The retrieval is based on the client authenticating its primary device identity.
The company also announced that the app is partnering 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 contacts saved in WhatsApp.
WhatsApp will also roll out usernames to provide an extra layer of privacy for the app users, which is susceptible to hacks.
“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 noted in a blog post.