WhatsApp has introduced a new privacy feature that offers users enhanced control over contact management across multiple devices, by allowing them to choose whether to store their contacts within the app or sync them with their phone's address book.
This feature, which is easily accessible by navigating to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > Contacts > WhatsApp Contacts, also enables to add and edit contacts seamlessly across their linked devices, WABetaInfo reported.
The new feature has introduced a new toggle labeled "Sync contact to phone" that appears when users add a new contact. It lets users decide whether to sync a particular contact to their phone or keep it solely within WhatsApp.
If users choose to maintain certain contacts exclusively within WhatsApp, then the chosen contacts will not appear in the phone's general contact list.
Additionally, WhatsApp has also introduced a new storage system called Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS), which securely stores contact information and allows users to restore their contacts even if they lose their phone.
This system implements Key Transparency, ensuring that users can verify the authenticity of their contacts and track any changes made to their identity keys.
To enhance security further, WhatsApp has partnered with Cloudflare, which provides independent verification to ensure that contact data is not tampered with.
Moreover, by using cryptographic hashes, WhatsApp protects the phone numbers of contacts who do not have an account on the app, without storing or sharing details on its servers.
It is worth noting that contacts stored in WhatsApp will also be automatically restored when users reinstall the app, change phones, or link a new device.
This feature is rolling out to even more people over the coming days.
In the decision, judge said X had met all the necessary requirements to start operating again in the country
Justice Dept's suggestions aim to prevent Google's past dominance from extending to artificial intelligence sector
British and American scientists awarded for their work on predicting structure of proteins using AI
Ambros, Ruvkun win Nobel Prize in Medicine for discovery of microRNA and its role in genes regulation
Mission launched to inspect damage done by Nasa's DART when it smashed into asteroid during test of planetary defences
New feature in Meta's popular instant messaging app enables users to add pop of colour to their chats