Meta-owned messaging platform, WhatsApp, has announced plans to introduce usernames, allowing users to connect and chat without having to share their phone numbers.
According to the platform, the feature will be rolled out globally to its three billion account holders over the next few months. Beginning Monday, users will be able to reserve a unique username through the app, although adopting one will not be mandatory.
The company said users would be free to remove or change their usernames at any time. Once the feature is fully activated, people will be able to connect by exchanging usernames only, while existing options to block or report unwanted messages will remain available.
WhatsApp said usernames will be limited to 35 characters and will have only a few restrictions. However, the names of certain high-profile public officials and celebrities will be reserved and unavailable for others to use.
The Meta-owned messaging platform described the new usernames as a privacy feature designed to give users greater control over the information they share.
WhatsApp’s Head of Product, Alice Newton-Rex, said the company had received feedback from users who did not always want to disclose their phone numbers in order to communicate with others, particularly in group chats.
She said the feature would “give users control over how they choose to show up” on the app.
The development has drawn mixed reactions from privacy experts. Carissa VĂ©liz, a professor at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power, described the feature as beneficial but argued that broader privacy concerns remain.
“It is a good feature, but even if it does offer more privacy, remember WhatsApp is not a privacy-friendly app overall,” she said.
“It collects much metadata about users for marketing purposes.
“We have to remember that WhatsApp is owned by Meta—one of the tech companies with the worst track records when it comes to privacy.”
WhatsApp, however, noted that it does not use the content of private chats for advertising because messages are protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning the company cannot read them. It said it does use data such as who users message and when they communicate to support advertising.
According to the platform, once the feature is fully rolled out, individual phone numbers will no longer be visible on WhatsApp. It added that there will be no public directory of usernames, while phone numbers will still be required to register an account.
The company also noted that the minimum age to use WhatsApp remains 13 years and that messaging apps will not be included in the United Kingdom’s planned social media ban for users under 16, which is expected to take effect next year.
WhatsApp also announced that Kunal Shah, founder of an Indian fintech startup, will take over as head of the platform, succeeding Will Cathcart, who is stepping down after seven years in the role.
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