• WhatsApp has announced a fairly simply, but potentially very handy feature, as contacts can soon be stored in-app.
• Contacts can be stored and managed exclusively in WhatsApp moving forward.
• The new feature is designed to help users who may lose or switch their phone.

There is a new feature coming to WhatsApp in the form of storing contacts within the app.

That’s it. That’s the feature.

While it may seem rather simple on the surface, it could prove very helpful to users who lose or switch their smartphones, or choose to link another device to their primary number, bringing a unified list of contacts to the fore via WhatsApp’s cloud storage.

“Until now, the only place you were able to add contacts was from your mobile device, by either typing in a phone number or scanning a QR code. Soon, you’ll be able to add and manage contacts from the comfort of your keyboard on WhatsApp Web and Windows – and eventually other linked devices,” the instant messaging platform explained in a blog post.

“We’re also introducing a new choice to save a contact exclusively to WhatsApp. These WhatsApp contacts are ideal for when you are sharing your phone with others or if you want to separate personal and business contacts when managing more than one WhatsApp account on your phone,” it added.

As such, WhatsApp contacts will be restored in case you ever lose your phone or change devices.

Detailing how the system works, per TechCrunch, WhatsApp has developed an Identity Proof Linked Storage (IPLS) system that secures contact saving. To that end, when a user saves a contact, the system generates an encryption key on the device, and its retrieval is based on the client authenticating its primary device identity.

WhatsApp is also partnering with Cloudflare on this feature in order to sign any changes to the cryptographic properties of a user’s directory. This ensures that no edits are made to stored contacts within the app.

The Meta-owned platform also confirmed that another feature is on the horizon thanks to this latest ability to app contacts in-app being made available – Usernames.

“These updates will also make it possible to eventually manage and save contacts by usernames. Usernames on WhatsApp will add an extra degree of privacy so that you don’t need to share your phone number when messaging someone,” it confirmed.

No timeline has been outlined for the rollout of Usernames on WhatsApp, but the ability to add contacts natively should be available to users with the most up-to-date version of the application in the coming days and weeks.