You can finally start a WhatsApp chat without first saving the recipient's number

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has introduced an update that enables users to open chats with unknown numbers without having to first save them to their contact list.

The feature was first made available for lucky testers of WhatsApp’s Beta Program and is now available for users of the latest versions of WhatsApp on both iOS and Android.

Users will finally be able to open chats with unknown phone numbers by just searching for them on the app, making chatting with unknown numbers easier and more private.

A user just needs to go to their contact list, hit the search button and type the number they want to text; WhatsApp will search outside their contacts and the contact will show up.

They will then need to tap the ‘Chat’ button to start a conversation.

Until now, WhatsApp users had experienced certain limitations when trying to initiate a chat with someone on WhatsApp without first saving their contact information, unless the other party is in a group with the user.

Then, they could text them from the group member list or right away from the group chat without having to save their number. Otherwise, they had to rely on third-party or official click-to-chat apps, which might be more complicated to use for some users.

The new update is set to be a privacy booster as users won’t have cases where they save an unknown person’s number just to contact them briefly and then forgot to delete it, leaving their profile pictures exposed.

The latest comes just two months after the messaging platform revealed it is working on a feature to set up usernames as an added layer of privacy to users’ accounts.

This points to the possibility of being able to search for any WhatsApp user through a username and contact them, as is the case with WhatsApp’s rival Telegram.

If that is the case, the feature will come in handy for business owners, whom customers will be able to contact privately while also safeguarding their phone numbers.