WhatsApp has begun rolling out usernames, a feature that lets its more than three billion users message each other without revealing their phone numbers. The Meta-owned platform opened reservations on Monday, June 29, ahead of a fuller rollout planned later this year, according to TechCrunch.
Once live, usernames will replace phone numbers as the default identifier shown to new contacts. Users will still need a phone number to create a WhatsApp account, but they will no longer have to hand it over just to start a conversation.
Why WhatsApp Is Making the Change
Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s vice president and head of product, explained the reasoning behind the update in a company briefing. “When you meet someone new, whether it’s a classmate, a neighbour, or someone you met at an event, sharing your phone number can feel like a big step,” she said, according to TechCrunch.
Rival apps such as Telegram and Signal have offered usernames for years. WhatsApp’s move brings it in line with competitors that already let people keep their numbers private, as TechCrunch reported.
How Reservations Work
Usernames must be between three and 35 characters, contain at least one letter, and use only lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, according to WABetaInfo. They cannot start with “www” or end in a domain like “.com.”
Businesses and creators can claim a matching Facebook or Instagram handle to keep a consistent identity across Meta’s apps. Users can reserve a username now through Settings, then Account, then Username, and the app will hold it until the feature fully launches.
Privacy Protections Built In
WhatsApp said usernames will not be searchable within the app. Only people who already know a user’s exact username will be able to start a conversation with them, per Gulf Business.
The company is also adding an optional username key, a second code that a user can require alongside their username before a stranger can message them for the first time.
What Happens to Existing Contacts
People already saved in a user’s phone contacts will not be affected. Businesses that have collected phone numbers through past conversations will still be able to reach those customers directly, and authentication messages will continue to go to phone numbers as before, according to Invent’s business breakdown of the update.
Users can turn the feature off or change their username at any time once it becomes available on their account.
WhatsApp’s username rollout marks its biggest identity shift since the app launched 17 years ago, moving it away from a phone-number-only system for the first time. The reservation window is open now, months before the feature reaches most accounts, giving users a chance to claim their preferred handle early.
For businesses on the WhatsApp Business API, the bigger technical shift is a new Business-Scoped User ID that will run alongside usernames, and WABetaInfo notes that systems need to be updated to support it before it becomes required.
Prince Anichi
Founder and Lead Technology Editor at Ortechy. Covering digital economy shifts, tech ecosystems across Africa, cybersecurity intelligence, and emerging software platforms.
