WhatsApp launches ability to find and message unsaved contacts
WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature on its mobile apps that will make it easier to start chats with or screen unsaved contacts.
The feature is available in the latest updates for the Android and iOS WhatsApp apps, WABetaInfo reports.
While it is currently possible to respond to messages from non-contacts, initiating a conversation requires saving their number into a phone book or using a WhatsApp click-to-chat link.
With the new feature, WhatsApp has enabled searching for phone numbers outside the user’s saved contacts.
It is unclear whether this means that WhatsApp can check your call or SMS logs for numbers or can rummage through all WhatsApp users’ phone numbers.
This could be useful in an instance where you receive a phone call from an unsaved contact and prefer to chat over WhatsApp or want to check their profile image to verify their identity.
“Users frequently save contacts in their address book when they receive calls from unknown phone numbers, so they can identify them by checking their WhatsApp profile photos, but they might forget to remove these contacts later,” WABetaInfo explained.
The publication also believes the feature could enhance privacy because users can more easily screen unknown numbers.
If you want to verify whether the feature is already available on your device, you can start a new chat and search for an unsaved phone number.
MyBroadband tested the feature and found that it requires the full phone number to be typed in to locate an unsaved contact.
Therefore, it is not a search engine that returns a list of contacts using a partial phone number as input.
You also do not need to type +27 in front of local numbers.
WhatsApp’s new search by phone number feature on the iOS mobile app. (Click to enlarge)
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