WhatsApp Introduces Usernames to Mask Personal Phone Numbers

Meta has begun allowing users to reserve unique handles ranging from 3 to 35 characters. The process is designed to prevent handle squatting among the platform’s 3 billion users, with specific names already set aside for celebrities, organizations, and verified VIPs. Businesses and creators seeking brand consistency across Meta’s ecosystem can claim their existing Facebook or Instagram handles for their WhatsApp profiles. To activate the feature, users will navigate to Settings, then Account, and finally Username once the rollout reaches their region.

Unlike rival services such as Telegram or Signal, WhatsApp is taking a more restrictive approach to discovery. Usernames will not appear in a searchable directory. To initiate a conversation, a contact must know your exact handle, ensuring that the feature remains a tool for selective privacy rather than public networking. Alice Newton-Rex, Vice President and Head of Product, emphasized that the update serves those who wish to keep their phone numbers isolated from their social or professional interactions. Users retain the ability to disable the feature or rotate their handles at any time, though the current implementation lacks a QR code system, requiring manual sharing of the username via text or voice.