WhatsApp Update: WhatsApp is rolling out a new way to connect with people without sharing your phone number. The Meta-owned messaging platform has introduced usernames, a feature that lets users chat with new contacts, join group conversations, or message businesses without handing over personal digits. Starting this week, users can reserve their preferred username ahead of the feature's full rollout later this year.
With WhatsApp's massive global user base, the company is opening reservations early so people get a fair shot at the username they actually want.
What Is WhatsApp's New Username Feature?
According to a WhatsApp blog post, the feature is meant to give people more control over how much personal information they share when meeting someone new, whether it's a classmate, neighbour, or someone added to a group chat like a sports team's parent group.
Once usernames are live, anyone who enables the feature will no longer show their phone number to a person or business messaging them for the first time.
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The platform has also built in privacy safeguards. There's no public directory to search usernames, and no auto suggestions will appear, meaning someone needs to know your exact username to reach out. Users also get an optional username key, an extra layer that others must know before they can message you.
Businesses, creators, and organisations have an added option too: they can claim a username that matches their existing Instagram or Facebook handle, helping them keep a consistent identity across platforms.
How To Pick A WhatsApp Username
Setting up a username takes only a few seconds on the latest version of the app. Users simply need to go to Settings, then Account, and tap Username.
For those unsure what to choose, WhatsApp has added a username generator to suggest options. The company recommends picking something unique that only the people you want to reach would recognise.
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The rollout will happen gradually over the coming months, with users notified inside the app once the feature becomes available in their country.