Meta’s messaging platform WhatsApp has made a change to the way new contacts are added, finally dealing with an issue that has long frustrated and puzzled its users.
Until now, anybody wanting to add a new person to their contacts list had to first put their cell details in their phone’s main directory.
This week’s update means that new contacts can now be added directly and exclusively through WhatsApp, without any requirement for that person to also feature among the phone’s main contact list. In addition to convenience, the company says that this – along with a newly announced encryption storage system – will help preserve your privacy.
Easier to Add and Manage WhatsApp Contacts
WhatsApp announced the change in a blog post titled: ‘Making it Easier to Add and Manage Contacts’.
“Until now, the only place you were able to add contacts was from your mobile device, by either typing in a phone number or scanning a QR code,” the post explains.
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“Soon, you’ll be able to add and manage contacts from the comfort of your keyboard on WhatsApp Web and Windows – and eventually other linked devices.”
Crucially, it also confirms that you’ll have the option to make any contacts added directly through the app appear exclusively in WhatsApp. So, unless you want them to, they won’t also appear locally in your phone’s main contact list.
“Contacts you save to WhatsApp will be restored in case you ever lose your phone or change devices.” – WhatsApp
What’s(app) in a (User)name?
In addition to the main new feature announcement, WhatsApp’s post also revealed plans to allow contacts to be saved with a username.
This, it says, will “add an extra degree of privacy” as users will no longer have to share their phone number when messaging somebody.
On top of privacy, it remains to be seen whether the application of usernames instead of phone numbers could also help to reduce the growing proliferation of WhatsApp scams – the blog made no comment on this possibility.
Nor did it reveal a launch date of this feature.
WhatsApp’s Solution to Lost Devices
The main feature announcement links through to a more detailed post on the ‘Engineering at Meta’ blog about WhatsApp’s new encrypted storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS).
Acknowledging that, previously, losing your phone would also mean losing your contact list, IPLS will allow you to save contacts directly through WhatsApp. In turn, this will also let you restore them to a new device if your smartphone vanishes.
“IPLS is a novel system at WhatsApp that allows users to store their contact names in an encrypted way. IPLS allows the client device to save the contact information using a strong encryption key generated on the client device. Its retrieval is based on the client authenticating its primary device identity.” – Meta
It’s part and parcel of WhatsApp’s continuing pursuit of user security, which has previously included adding end-to-end encryption to backups and integrating support for passkeys.
