What you need to know
- WhatsApp users will soon be able to save contacts from WhatsApp Web and Windows devices.
- Until now, people could only save contacts for WhatsApp on their primary phone.
- The ultimate aim of the messaging platform is to soon add usernames instead of phone numbers and the ability to sync them irrespective of the device.
Meta has revealed some exciting new features coming to WhatsApp, making it simpler to add and manage contacts. Soon, users will be able to privately add and manage their contacts, no matter what device they’re using.
While the messaging platform already offers cross-platform support, users were able to add a new contact only via the primary Android phone or iOS handset—by adding a phone number or scanning a QR code.
In a press release, WhatsApp notes that users will soon be able to add and manage contacts through WhatsApp Web and also through Windows platforms or their preferred device, like Android tablets.
In some cases, users would want a certain contact only on WhatsApp and not as a contact on their phone contacts list. The messaging platform also adds such possibility, making handling personal and business numbers easier. It helps when people have more than one account on their device.
WhatsApp adds that contacts saved on the messaging platform can be readily restored when a user switches devices, which will be useful if they lose their smartphones and phone numbers.
The messaging platform's primary aim with the introduction of these new capabilities is to eventually "manage and save contacts by usernames."
Usernames aren't new, and most Android apps and even Meta-owned apps like Instagram utilize them. They create a unique identity for a person, irrespective of their phone number. This is an extra layer of privacy on the platform, which is likely to be coming soon to WhatsApp.
It is encouraging to see WhatsApp add such functionality. Hopefully, it will prevent people from spam, which rely heavily on phone numbers shared with businesses.
WhatsApp has also shared that the new feature to manage contacts across platforms is specifically designed for a new encrypted storage system dubbed Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS) that allows users to store contacts directly on WhatsApp, as mentioned.
It further allows new contacts to get synced to their phone even if saved from another WhatsApp-linked device. The IPLS also assures that stored contact names are encrypted within the platform, which is seen only by the user.
