Instagram chats no longer create a stray duplicate contact
Some Instagram conversations were quietly creating a second, empty contact that looked like a WhatsApp number. That no longer happens, and the empty duplicates have been cleared out.
Released 4 July 2026
Opening certain Instagram conversations no longer leaves behind a stray, empty contact that looked like a WhatsApp number.
What's new
- No more phantom contacts — some Instagram accounts have an ID that is short enough to look exactly like a phone number. Opening one of those chats could create a separate, messageless contact that appeared to be a WhatsApp number, with none of the real conversation in it. We now recognise the Instagram ID for what it is, so the real conversation opens and no duplicate is created.
- The existing duplicates are gone — any empty contacts already created this way have been removed, so your contact list stays clean.
Nothing you need to do — this applies automatically.