WhatsApp’s new Great feature for users 2024

The new feature is only available to users who update to the latest version of the WhatsApp Meta-owned instant messaging app.

Introduction

• New Feature Announcement

Privacy Update

• Backup Options for Contacts
• Choosing Contact Source (WhatsAp or Phone)

Accessing the New Feature

• Navigation Path: Settings > Privacy > Contacts > WhatsAp Contacts

Managing Contact Data

• Send or Delete Contact Data from Linked Devices
• New Sync Contact Button

Phone Contacts vs WhatsApp Contacts

• Keeping Contacts Only in WhatsApp

Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS)

• Key Transparency and Contact Safety
• Collaboration with Cloudflare for Data Integrity

Syncing with the Phone Book

• Cryptographic Protection of Non-WhatsAp Contacts

Automatic Contact Sync and Backup

• Restoring Contacts after Reinstalling WhatsApp or Switching Devices

Availability of the Feature

• Gradual Rollout for Android and iOS Users

FAQs

• 1. What is WhatsAp’s new contact management feature?
  2. How do I add a new contact on WhatsAp?Can I edit contact details directly on WhatsAp?Is this feature available for all users? What platforms support this feature?
  6. Do I need to sync my contacts?

Yesterday, WhatsAp officially declared that it has begun to launch an important privacy update to all users that enable them to select how and where their contacts are backed up across the devices.

In addition to that, with the help of the new feature, the users will be able to keep their contacts in the WhatsApp application or get them from their phone’s address book as per their choice.

The new interesting feature of the Meta-owned app can be found through WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > Contacts > WhatsApp Contacts.

As stated consistent with WABetaInfo, the new feature in addition to that enables users to send or delete contact data through their linked devices.

Among the new additions that will benefit users is a new button marked ‘Sync contact to phone’ that appears every time a new contact is added.

This toggle allows the users to choose whether a contact has to be added to the phone’s native contact list or not or whether it is only a WhatsAp contact.

If you select the option to use only this application for specific, particular contacts, these contacts will not be listed among other contacts in your phone/phone’s contact list.

Besides, the company that owns WhatsAp also launched a new storage method known as Identity Proof Linked Storage, IPLS, which securely stores one’s contact information and enables the user to retrieve their contact list should their phone get lost.

This system uses Key Transparency where users are able to check the sanity of the Contacts Tangent as well as any modifications done to the identity keys.

, for additional security, the company has collaborated with Cloudflare, an independent service that confirms that the contact data was not changed.

Furthermore, while syncing with the user’s phone book to allow for the invitation of individuals on the app, WhatsApp employs cryptographic hashes to safeguard the identity of phone numbers of individuals without an account on the app while ridiculing details on its servers.

Most importantly, it should be noted that the contacts saved in the application will also be synchronized and will be restored in case if users reinstall the application, switch phones, or connect a new device.

This feature is only accessed by users who receive the recent updates of the application and it is extended to include even more people in the coming several days if one is using WhatsApp for Android from the Google Play Store and WhatsApp for the iOS from the App Store.

FAQs