New Delhi: WhatsApp on Monday, June 29, began allowing users worldwide to reserve usernames, a feature that will let people connect on the messaging platform without sharing their phone numbers, the Meta-owned company said.
The reservation process began rolling out from Monday, giving users a head start on claiming a username of their choice before the feature itself becomes functional within the app later this year. Users will be notified in-app once they can begin using their reserved handle.
A username, the company said, offers people a way to be reached on WhatsApp without revealing their digits. Users can pick any name of their choosing, independent of handles they may use on other platforms.
No directory, no suggestions
WhatsApp was at pains to stress that the feature was designed purely for privacy rather than discoverability. There will be no public directory to browse usernames and the app will not suggest accounts to potential contacts – meaning a person will need to know someone’s exact username to reach them for the first time.
To add a further layer of security, users will be able to set up a “username key,” a code that anyone messaging them for the first time via their username must supply in order for the message to go through. The key can be changed at any time, the company said, and usernames themselves can be updated within the app.
The rollout comes days after Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced that CRED founder Kunal Shah would take over as WhatsApp’s global chief executive, alongside a roughly USD 900 million investment by Meta in the fintech firm.
Why it matters
WhatsApp’s phone-number-based identity has long been flagged as a privacy weak spot, since contacting someone on the app has traditionally required knowing their mobile number – information that is often tied to bank accounts, government identification and other sensitive records.
By decoupling messaging from phone numbers, WhatsApp is moving closer to rivals such as Telegram and Signal, which have offered username-based contact for years, and addressing a long-standing user demand, particularly in regions where unsolicited calls and number-harvesting are common complaints.
With India being WhatsApp’s largest market by user base, the change is likely to have an outsized impact domestically, even as the company continues to face scrutiny over data privacy and its broader integration with Meta’s advertising ecosystem.
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