Soon, WhatsApp Will Simplify the Process of Adding or Managing Contacts on the Web and other Connected Devices

What is more crucial than communicating? Naturally, it’s the individual to whom you are sending it. We’re making it simpler today to add and manage contacts on WhatsApp in private from any device, putting in place a new encryption method to make contact sharing easier and guaranteeing that you can recover your WhatsApp contacts even if you transfer devices.

WhatsApp is launching a new way to save contacts just in the app. Users may now keep contacts without using the address book on their smartphone thanks to an integrated contact manager. WhatsApp does, however, provide the ability to sync contacts stored within the app with the address book on the phone. On Windows, Web, and other connected devices, users will be able to add or manage contacts on WhatsApp.

Up until now, you could only add contacts from your mobile device by scanning a QR code or entering a phone number. With WhatsApp Web and Windows, and ultimately other connected devices, you will soon be able to add and manage contacts from the convenience of your keyboard.

Users who share a phone with others or who want to keep their personal and professional connections separate while using numerous WhatsApp accounts on the same device will find this new functionality very useful. If a user loses their phone or switches devices, their WhatsApp contacts will be recovered. Users will also be able to organize and save contacts according to their usernames. WhatsApp said that using usernames will provide an additional layer of anonymity by removing the requirement to disclose your phone number when contacting someone. To put things in perspective, Signal also lets users use the program without a phone number.

The previously described functionality makes use of WhatsApp’s hardware security module (HSM) and key transparency to create a new encrypted storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS). According to WhatsApp, a strong encryption key created on the client’s smartphone is used to save the contact information. Only once the client verifies the primary device identification is it obtained. If a user ever misplaces their phone or switches devices, their WhatsApp contacts will be recovered. Additionally, if individuals have different WhatsApp accounts for professional and personal use on the same device, they can establish or modify contact lists.

A new technology called IPLS effectively links any data access to publicly auditable identification key changes uploaded to WhatsApp’s key transparency infrastructure, preventing unwanted access to sensitive data. This method is comparable to detecting a public key compromise in an end-to-end encrypted communications system using QR code scanning technology.

WhatsApp claims that because of these capabilities, it is moving closer to allowing users to manage and save contacts by username in the future. According to the business, this will boost privacy by removing the requirement to exchange phone numbers in order to communicate on WhatsApp.

If you ever lose your phone or switch devices, the contacts you save to WhatsApp will be recovered.

Eventually, managing and saving contacts by username will be feasible thanks to these upgrades. You may message someone on WhatsApp without disclosing your phone number thanks to usernames, which offer an additional layer of anonymity. We’ll have more to share when it’s ready, but this is just one important step toward making that a reality.