WhatsApp will finally allow adding contacts through QR code and chatting with them without revealing your phone number
Scanning QR codes is already integrated in the camera app of many mobile devices, but in some models only. We still need to use an external app to scan these codes, such as the QR Code Reader app. However, this shouldn’t be the case with the WhatsApp app now, as the app itself will include a QR code reader in a new section, allowing us to scan QR codes and add new contacts without knowing their phone number.
This is something WhatsApp users have been requesting for years. The problem is that a phone number is a basic requirement to add other users. Sometimes we want to communicate with them through the WhatsApp messaging app, but we don’t want to save their phone number on our devices simply because we don’t want them to be able to contact us again without recognizing our number. While other apps allow you to add a “nick” like Telegram does, or through a specific code like BlackBerry Messenger, WhatsApp has remained tied to the phone number.
Just a few days ago, we discussed that WhatsApp has launched another option to talk to any user without saving their number. However, it’s still necessary to obtain your phone number, even if we only use it to open the conversation and don’t need to store it in our contacts list. Now, they are preparing to introduce this new feature by recognizing QR codes without knowing the phone number.
