SAN FRANCISCO: WhatsApp will begin rolling out usernames to its more than three billion users worldwide, allowing people to connect without sharing their phone numbers, its parent company Meta announced on Monday.
The new feature, which will be introduced gradually over the coming months, is designed to improve user privacy by enabling people to share a unique username instead of their mobile number when contacting others for the first time.
“The feature is designed to protect the privacy of your phone number,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
Under the update, users will be able to choose a unique username that others can use to contact them without revealing their phone number.
WhatsApp said the change would be particularly useful when users are added to large group chats or communicate with a business or an individual for the first time.
Unlike traditional social media platforms, WhatsApp said usernames would not create a searchable directory.
“There’s no directory to browse and no suggestions, so people need to know your exact username to contact you,” Meta said.
The company added that the feature was intended to strengthen privacy rather than transform WhatsApp into another social networking platform.
“At its core, it’s a privacy feature, not a social media handle,” Meta said.
WhatsApp said users would be able to reserve usernames before the feature is fully launched later this year because of the large number of overlapping names among its global user base.
“For over three billion people on WhatsApp a lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them,” the company said.
The company said users would receive in-app notifications when username reservations become available in their country.
As with other online platforms, Meta acknowledged that many users might not secure their preferred username because of the service’s global scale.
Meta said creators, small businesses and organisations would be able to claim the same usernames they already use on Facebook or Instagram to maintain a consistent identity across its platforms.
The company said the gradual global rollout would continue over the coming months.
