WhatsApp Introduces Username Feature, Users No Longer Need to Share Phone Numbers
WhatsApp has announced it will introduce a username feature, enabling users to communicate without having to share their personal phone numbers. Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President and Head of Product at WhatsApp, stated the feature is designed to enhance user privacy on the Meta-owned instant messaging platform. “We are launching the next big privacy upgrade on WhatsApp, which is usernames. This is a new way to connect with someone without giving them your phone number,” she said during an online presentation followed in Jakarta on Monday.
Starting this week, users can reserve a username ahead of the feature’s official launch at the end of the year. Newton-Rex explained that the username is designed to give users greater control over who can see their phone number. “The username is designed to give you control over who can see your phone number from the start. This is a completely optional feature. You can choose your own username, change it, or delete it,” she said.
Newton-Rex noted that sharing a personal phone number often acts as a barrier when someone wants to communicate with new acquaintances, such as school friends, neighbours, or members of a community group. She gave the example of a user wanting to join a community group or a parents’ association group but not yet ready to share their phone number with strangers.
To maintain privacy, WhatsApp will not provide a directory for searching or recommending usernames. A person must know the exact username before they can contact another user for the first time. As an additional security layer, WhatsApp is also preparing an optional username PIN that must be known by the other party before they can send a message to the account holder. Once the feature is launched, users who activate a username will no longer need to display their phone number when sending a first message to another user, unless the recipient has already saved the number.
“If you have a username enabled, when you message someone or a business for the first time, they will no longer see your phone number unless they already have it saved,” Newton-Rex said. In addition to individual users, WhatsApp is preparing an option for content creators, small businesses, and organisations to use the same username as their existing Instagram or Facebook accounts. To help users find a suitable name, WhatsApp is also introducing a username generator that can provide various name recommendations. The username feature will be rolled out gradually over the coming months. Users can make a reservation via the Settings > Account > Username menu on the latest version of the WhatsApp application and will receive a notification when the feature becomes available in their country. WhatsApp stressed that the introduction of usernames does not alter the platform’s core security system. Private messages and calls remain automatically protected by end-to-end encryption.