Srinagar, June 30: WhatsApp has announced a major privacy-focused update that will allow users to communicate using unique usernames instead of sharing their phone numbers, giving them greater control over who can contact them.
The Meta-owned messaging platform said it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames ahead of a wider rollout later this year. Once the feature is fully available, users will have the option to be discovered and contacted using only their chosen username, without revealing their phone number.
The move is aimed at enhancing privacy for WhatsApp’s more than three billion users worldwide, particularly when interacting with people they do not know personally.
According to WhatsApp, there will be no public directory of usernames or autocomplete suggestions. Users will need to know a person’s exact username to initiate contact for the first time, reducing the chances of unsolicited messages.
“We have designed this as a core privacy feature,” Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s Vice President of Product, said while announcing the update.
Currently, anyone with a user’s phone number can send them a message on WhatsApp. While the platform offers end-to-end encryption and allows users to block contacts or silence unknown callers, it has long required phone numbers as the primary identifier.
The new username system is expected to offer an additional layer of privacy, particularly for users who want to communicate without sharing their personal mobile numbers.
WhatsApp said usernames must be between three and 35 characters long. To prevent impersonation, the company will reserve usernames associated with high-profile individuals, celebrities, public figures, government entities and organisations.
The platform also plans to allow businesses, organisations and creators with existing Meta accounts on Facebook and Instagram to claim matching usernames on WhatsApp.
The company has not announced an exact date for the global rollout but said the feature will be introduced gradually over the coming months. Users can begin reserving their preferred usernames before the wider launch to secure their desired handles.
