By KELVIN CHANTuesday June 30, 2026
WhatsApp is moving to close a long-standing privacy gap, with the company saying Monday that users will soon be able to connect through usernames instead of exposing their phone numbers.
The messaging service has begun letting people reserve unique usernames ahead of a broader rollout expected later this year, part of an effort to make it possible to reach users without sharing personal contact details.
WhatsApp, which says it has more than 3 billion users globally, has until now allowed users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number.
In a blog post, the Meta Platforms-owned app said that, over the “coming months,” people will be able to make themselves discoverable and reachable by username only, rather than by number. The company did not provide a more precise timetable.
“We have designed this as a core privacy feature,” Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s vice president of product, told reporters.
The app will not offer a username directory, and it will not auto-suggest handles as users type.
“People will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time,” she said.
At present, WhatsApp’s privacy tools are relatively limited, allowing users to block specific accounts or mute unknown callers. It also lets people add a profile name, but that name appears only in group chats to users who do not have the person’s contact information saved.
Although text messaging remains more popular than WhatsApp in the United States, the platform has a far broader reach across Europe, Asia and much of the world.
Desirable usernames are likely to be snapped up quickly, especially by users looking for clean or memorable handles.
“I think a lot of people will go and get usernames and that’s why we decided to open reservations early,” Newton-Rex said.
Businesses, organizations and creators that already use Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms will be able to claim corresponding usernames on WhatsApp.
Usernames must contain between three and 35 characters. To guard against impersonation, WhatsApp said it will reserve some names for high-profile individuals and groups, including celebrities, public figures and government bodies.
