WhatsApp adds user‑alias feature and offers fix for missing contacts in phone address book

WhatsApp announced the rollout of a new alias system that lets users create a unique @username to be added by contacts without sharing their phone number. The handle can include letters, numbers and certain symbols, and the traditional number‑based add option remains available. The company says the feature will improve privacy, allowing users to interact with strangers, clients or groups while keeping the SIM‑linked phone number hidden, and will be accompanied by anti‑spam measures and conversation‑approval prompts.

A separate guide details how to resolve an issue where contacts saved from WhatsApp do not appear in the phone’s address book. Users can fix it by turning off the "WhatsApp Contacts" toggle in Settings → Privacy, confirming the removal while keeping “Save contacts to phone” checked, then re‑enabling the toggle. After this sync, new numbers saved in WhatsApp will automatically appear in the device’s contacts list.