WhatsApp to introduce usernames, letting users drop phone numbers for contact

Source: AP

WhatsApp has announced plans to allow users to communicate using unique usernames instead of phone numbers, a move aimed at closing a longstanding privacy loophole.

The Meta-owned messaging platform, which serves over 3 billion users globally, stated on Monday that it has begun allowing users to reserve usernames. The feature is expected to launch later this year, enabling users to be contacted without sharing their phone numbers.

Until now, anyone with a user's phone number could reach them on WhatsApp. In a blog post, the company said that in the "coming months," users will have the option to be found and contacted solely by their username. No specific timeline was provided.

"We have designed this as a core privacy feature," said Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's vice president of product, in a briefing with reporters.

There will be no public directory of usernames, and the app will not suggest usernames as users type. "People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time," Newton-Rex added.

Currently, WhatsApp's privacy settings are limited to blocking individual users and silencing unknown callers. Users can also add a profile name, but this is only visible in chat groups to people who have not saved the user's contact information.

While text messaging remains more popular in the United States, WhatsApp is widely used across Europe, Asia, and much of the rest of the world.

Key Details

• Username requirements: Usernames must be between 3 and 35 characters.
• Reservation process: To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will reserve usernames for high-profile individuals and groups, including celebrities, public figures, and government entities.
• Early access: Companies, organizations, and creators with existing accounts on Meta's Instagram and Facebook platforms will be able to claim their WhatsApp usernames first.
• High demand expected: Newton-Rex noted that catchy handles are highly coveted, prompting the company to open reservations early. "I think a lot of people will go and get usernames and that's why we decided to open reservations early," she said.

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[File image: To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will hold back usernames for high-profile people or groups such as celebrities, public figures and government entities — Photo Credit: REUTERS]