WhatsApp is finally fixing one of its biggest privacy issues. Soon, users can chat using WhatsApp usernames instead of sharing phone numbers. The company announced on Monday that people can now reserve unique usernames before the feature rolls out later this year. With more than three billion users worldwide, the update could change how millions connect on the messaging app.
For years, anyone needed your phone number to start a WhatsApp chat. However, that will soon change. Over the coming months, users can choose to be found only through their usernames.
“We have designed this as a core privacy feature,” said Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s Vice President of Product. She also explained that there will be no username directory. In addition, the app will not suggest usernames while people search. “People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time,” she said.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp’s current privacy tools mainly allow users to block contacts or silence unknown callers. Although users can add profile names, those names only appear in group chats for people without their saved contacts.
The new username option gives users more control over who can reach them. Usernames must contain between three and 35 characters. Furthermore, WhatsApp will reserve usernames linked to celebrities, public figures, and government bodies to reduce impersonation.
The update is expected to trigger a rush for catchy usernames. “I think a lot of people will go and get usernames and that’s why we decided to open reservations early,” Newton-Rex said. Businesses, creators, and organisations with existing Instagram and Facebook accounts will also get priority to claim matching usernames.
While WhatsApp is not the most popular messaging app in the United States, it remains a daily communication tool across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Nigeria. As a result, this privacy upgrade could become one of WhatsApp’s biggest changes in years.
