WhatsApp rolls out usernames to replace phone number sharing

WhatsApp will let its three billion account holders message each other through unique usernames instead of phone numbers, with the feature rolling out globally over the coming months.

Users can begin reserving a name inside the app this week, though adopting one will remain optional. Meta, which owns WhatsApp, says people will be able to change or remove a username at any time.

Once the rollout is complete, contacts will be able to start a chat after swapping usernames alone, with blocking and reporting tools still available for unwanted messages. Names are capped at 35 characters, and Meta has reserved a small list of public figures' names so other users cannot claim them.

Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's head of product, said the company had heard from users who wanted more control over what they share, particularly in group chats. She framed usernames as a way to let people show up on the platform without handing over a phone number first.

To reserve a username, users open their account or profile settings inside the app; the option appears once it has reached that account. The feature is not available on WhatsApp Web or Desktop. Creators, small businesses and organisations will be able to claim a username matching their existing Instagram or Facebook handle. Anyone else wanting a matching name across Meta's apps must link their accounts through Meta's Accounts Centre, a step that shares data across services such as Threads and Messenger.

Privacy concerns persist despite the change

Signal introduced an almost identical username system in 2024, two years ahead of WhatsApp's move. Carisa Veliz, a privacy researcher at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power, called the update a genuine improvement but stopped short of calling WhatsApp privacy-friendly overall. She pointed to the volume of metadata WhatsApp still collects for advertising, and to Meta's broader record on user privacy.

WhatsApp does not use message content for advertising. Chats remain protected by end-to-end encryption, which prevents Meta from reading them directly. The company does, however, draw on other signals to support ad targeting, including a user's general location and basic account details such as age.

Phone numbers will stop being visible to other users once the feature is fully active, though a number will still be required to create a WhatsApp account in the first place. There will be no public directory of usernames, so names will only surface through a direct exchange between contacts.

Some users have reported that the option to reserve a name has not yet appeared on their account. Meta has told them to update to the latest version of the app and wait for the feature to activate on their account.

Removing visible phone numbers has raised concern that scammers could approach victims through usernames with less traceability than a phone number provides, echoing concerns raised after a separate Android security crisis left billions of devices vulnerable to attack earlier this year. Responding to a question on X, the platform that recently expanded into crypto and stock trading features, Meta said it has built in several layers of protection against abuse.

The company added that an optional security layer, a short numbered code attached to a username, will let people limit contact to those who already hold both the name and the code. Three groups face the most direct exposure once usernames become the default contact method:

• Scammers seeking to approach users without a traceable phone number
• Public figures whose names Meta has pre-blocked from general use
• Businesses and creators linking their WhatsApp identity to existing Instagram or Facebook handles

The minimum age to use WhatsApp remains 13. Messaging apps, including WhatsApp, will not fall under the UK's social media ban for under-16s due to take effect next year, leaving the username system untouched by that restriction.

The rollout follows a leadership change at the top of the platform. Kunal Shah, founder of an Indian fintech start-up, is taking over as head of WhatsApp, succeeding Will Cathcart after seven years in the role. The username system will be one of the first major features to ship under his leadership.