WhatsApp is introducing a long-awaited username feature that will allow users to connect and chat without sharing their phone numbers, marking one of the platform’s biggest privacy updates in years.
The Meta-owned messaging app announced that the feature will begin rolling out globally over the next few months to its more than three billion users. Starting Monday, users can reserve a unique username through the app, although creating one will remain optional.
Once fully implemented, users will be able to exchange usernames instead of phone numbers when connecting on WhatsApp. However, a valid phone number will still be required to create and maintain a WhatsApp account.
According to WhatsApp, usernames can be up to 35 characters long and can be changed or removed at any time. The company also said certain names associated with high-profile public figures and celebrities will be protected to prevent impersonation, making it unlikely that users will be able to register names such as “Donald Trump.”
The company described the new feature as a significant step toward improving user privacy. WhatsApp’s Head of Product, Alice Newton-Rex, said many users had expressed concerns about sharing their phone numbers, especially when participating in group chats or communicating with people they do not know personally.
She said the introduction of usernames is designed to give users greater control over how they present themselves on the platform.
WhatsApp also confirmed that users will continue to have access to safety features, including the ability to block and report unwanted contacts.
The move follows a similar feature introduced by secure messaging app Signal in 2024.
Despite the added privacy, some experts argue that the update does not fully address broader concerns surrounding WhatsApp’s data practices.
Carissa Véliz, a professor at Oxford University and author of Privacy Is Power, noted that while usernames improve privacy by hiding phone numbers, WhatsApp still collects metadata, such as who users communicate with and when those interactions occur, to support Meta’s advertising systems.
WhatsApp has repeatedly stated that it does not use the content of private messages for advertising, as chats are protected by end-to-end encryption, preventing the company from reading users’ conversations.
The platform also confirmed there will be no public directory of usernames, helping to limit unwanted contact and maintain user privacy.
WhatsApp is available to users aged 13 and above, and messaging apps are not expected to be affected by the UK’s planned social media restrictions for under-16s, which are scheduled to take effect next year.
