WhatsApp is making a massive change to the way it saves your contacts

WhatsApp typically relies connected the smartphone code publication it runs connected to clasp and negociate contacts. But that tin beryllium a occupation for users who suffer their instrumentality and neglect to backmost up their phone’s contacts, radical who stock phones, oregon those who negociate aggregate accounts with abstracted contacts connected 1 device.

To start, you’ll beryllium capable to prevention contacts connected WhatsApp Web and Windows and Meta says that you’ll “eventually” beryllium capable to bash truthful connected different linked devices. Contacts saved successful WhatsApp usage a caller “privacy-preserving” retention exertion called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS) that Meta explains keeps names and numbers encrypted and tin lone beryllium accessed by the user.

In an email to The Verge, property typical for WhatsApp Jessica Maskell wrote that the caller contacts diagnostic volition beryllium followed by a caller username strategy wherever telephone numbers won’t beryllium required. Other end-to-end encrypted messaging apps similar Signal person besides added a telephone number-free option for utilizing the app.