It is possible to use WhatsApp (on iOS, at least) without giving it contact access. I do this and it isn't too bad—you still see people's WhatsApp nicknames, so

It is possible to use WhatsApp (on iOS, at least) without giving it contact access. I do this and it isn't too bad—you still see people's WhatsApp nicknames, so it's not like you're just looking at phone numbers. Of course, that does nothing to stop them from tracking who you actively communicate with.