Meta Platforms has announced that users can now reserve their preferred WhatsApp usernames, ahead of a new feature scheduled to roll out later this year.
Here’s everything you need to know about WhatsApp usernames and how you can reserve yours.
A WhatsApp username represents the most significant update to the way people connect and exchange messages on WhatsApp since the messaging platform launched 17 years ago.
Since its debut, WhatsApp has relied on users’ phone numbers to enable communication. To send someone a message on the platform, you have always needed the phone number linked to their WhatsApp account.
However, phone numbers are highly sensitive pieces of personal information. They are used for much more than calling and texting. They can act as personal identifiers, receive two-factor authentication codes, and even indicate the region where someone lives.
Until now, anyone wishing to communicate with an individual or business on WhatsApp had to share this personal information.
Beginning later this year, WhatsApp will introduce a username-based messaging system, allowing users to connect without revealing their phone numbers. Meta, the company that also owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, officially opened WhatsApp username reservations on Monday.
This means you will no longer need to share your phone number with someone you do not know in order to chat on WhatsApp. Instead, you can simply provide your unique WhatsApp username.
Using a username will help keep your phone number private from individuals and businesses while allowing you to continue communicating through WhatsApp just as easily as before.
No. WhatsApp has not yet activated the username feature. It is expected to become available later this year.
For now, the company has only opened the reservation process, allowing users to claim their preferred username before the feature launches. Once a username is reserved, it cannot be claimed by another user.
When WhatsApp officially introduces usernames later this year, users who have already reserved theirs will be able to begin sending and receiving messages using that username from the first day of availability.
After the feature becomes available, you will be able to share your WhatsApp username instead of your phone number when someone wants to contact you. Messaging through usernames will function the same way messaging through phone numbers currently works.
WhatsApp has also confirmed that there will be “no directory to browse and no suggestions – people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time,” helping reduce unsolicited messages and improve user privacy.
WhatsApp has already started rolling out the username reservation system in selected regions. When it becomes available for your account, you will receive a notification within the WhatsApp app.
To reserve your WhatsApp username once the feature is available, follow these steps:
When selecting a username, WhatsApp recommends choosing “something unique that only people you want to contact you will know.”
Usernames can contain between 3 and 35 characters, and they do not need to match the usernames you use on Facebook or Instagram.
Although reserving your full name may seem like the obvious choice, it may not be the best option for privacy. Using your full legal name could make it easier for people who know your name to guess your WhatsApp username.
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