WhatsApp has announced a new privacy feature that will help users manage their contacts better across different devices.
With this feature, users can choose to either keep their contacts stored within WhatsApp or sync them with their phone’s address book. This gives users more control over how they manage their contacts.
To access this feature, users can go to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > Contacts > WhatsApp Contacts.
According to WABetaInfo, this new feature also lets users add and edit their contacts on all linked devices.
One useful aspect of this update is a new option called “Sync contact to phone,” which appears when users add a new contact. This lets users decide if they want to save the contact in their phone’s address book or only in WhatsApp. If they choose to keep certain contacts only in WhatsApp, those contacts won’t show up in the general contact list on their phone.
Additionally, WhatsApp has introduced a new storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS). This system securely stores contact information and allows users to restore their contacts if they lose their phone. It uses Key Transparency, which helps users verify their contacts’ authenticity and track any changes to their identity keys.
To further enhance security, WhatsApp has partnered with Cloudflare for independent verification, ensuring that contact data is protected from tampering. The app also uses cryptographic hashes to protect the phone numbers of contacts who do not have a WhatsApp account, without storing or sharing their details on its servers.
Contacts saved in WhatsApp will automatically be restored when users reinstall the app, change phones, or link a new device.
This feature is available to users who install the latest updates of WhatsApp for Android from the Google Play Store and for iOS from the App Store, and it will be rolled out to more users in the coming days.
