WhatsApp beta reveals new QR code to share details and phone number

Feature may make it easier to share contact details

A report on the latest WhatsApp Android beta (v 2.20.171) shows a new QR code feature that lets you share your contact details with other people. Like any other QR code, showing your contact code to another person’s phone camera will share your details and phone number (via WABetaInfo). 

A new icon in the WhatsApp app shows a screen with two tabs, ‘My code’ and ‘Scan code’ depending if you’re showing or scanning a code. The feature shares a WhatsApp contact card that includes your phone number and adds you to the recipient’s contacts.

QR codes have long been a faster way to share information dsigitally but WhatsApp may have added this feature so that people don’t have to hand their phones to others to type their number in. It’s a little outdated to exchange numbers for some generations these days anyway what with the slew of different internet platforms available to communicate on, but WhatsApp remains one that requires a phone number to work.

The report shows that you can reset the QR code, rendering any link sent invalid, but it doesn’t appear to remove you from the contacts if someone has already scanned. Instead this feature is more likely to be if your QR code was shared without your permission and you didn’t want lots of people using it to add your details to their account.

It’s not currently clear if the feature will come to iOS, but Facebook-owned WhatsApp is usually diligent about ensuring that both iPhone and Android have the same functionality. We expect the QR update to hit the public release of the app after it has run a few weeks in the beta.