WhatsApp separates contacts from devices
Today, WhatsApp announced a major overhaul of how it handles contacts. Until now, contacts in WhatsApp were the contacts on the phone it was installed on. This can be a problem for those who lose their phone and don’t have backups of their contacts, for example. WhatsApp also had users who share a smartphone or manage multiple accounts with separate contacts on one device in mind.
Today, WhatsApp has now presented its version of a solution to this problem: an integrated contact manager. This lets you save contacts in the app so you don’t lose them if you change smartphones. The first step to implementing this new feature is the ability to save contacts on WhatsApp Web and Windows. WhatsApp owner Meta also says that the new system will eventually allow you to save contacts on other linked devices.
The contacts you save in WhatsApp use a new privacy-protecting storage technology called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS). According to Meta, IPLS encrypts names and numbers and only the respective user can access them.
The new contact feature will be followed by a username system at some point in the future. This will allow you to use the app without having to link your account to your phone number.
