Sharing your phone number to start a conversation will no longer be the only option on WhatsApp. The messaging platform has in fact opened the reservation of user names, a system that will allow you to identify yourself uniquely without having to share your telephone number. The goal is to offer an easier and more private way to connect with other people, while maintaining greater control over your privacy.
The function had already emerged during the development phase, but with Meta’s official announcement it now enters a new phase: booking is available as early as this week, while the actual possibility of using usernames in conversations will be gradually introduced in the coming months. WhatsApp will inform users when the new feature is available in their country.
Username reservation begins: how it works
To reserve your username you must intervene directly from the app for Android and iOS/iPadOS, making sure you have the latest version as it is not available on older ones, responding affirmatively to the appropriate warning shown automatically on the main screen or by implementing the following procedure:
- Open WhatsApp and access the Settings section by tapping the relevant item in the ⋮ menu on Android or in the You tab on iOS/iPadOS;
- Tap on Account and then on Username;
- Decide whether to import the username already used on other Meta platforms by pressing the Use Instagram username button or the Use Facebook username button, or choose to type a new one by pressing the Create username button;
- If the chosen username is available, WhatsApp reports this and you can reserve it by pressing the Save and End buttons, while if it is not available you can select an alternative or set a different one manually.
Once all the steps have been completed, the username will remain associated with the account and can be changed at any time via the app settings.
Those who do not yet see the username option simply have to wait for the rollout, which will progressively affect all users over the next few months. Once active, to send messages to someone for the first time you will need to know their username exactly.
What rules must be respected
To make the system more secure and reduce the risk of impersonation, Meta has defined a series of rules that every username must respect. Each username must be unique, have a length between 3 and 35 characters and contain at least one letter. Only lowercase letters, numbers, periods and underscores will be allowed. However, it will not be possible to use prefixes such as “www.”, suffixes that recall Internet domains, such as “.com” or “.net”, or names that begin or end with a period.
The platform will then reserve some names to prevent improper use and reduce the risk of impersonation of people, organizations and brands. When applicable, it will also be possible to use the same username already associated with the other Meta services on WhatsApp.
Because it is better to book it now
Pre-booking allows you to secure your desired username before the feature is rolled out to all users.
Considering that WhatsApp is used by over three billion people around the world, Meta has decided to open this phase before the global release of the feature, so as to allow users to reserve their identifier before usernames are available on a large scale.
What changes for privacy and security
The introduction of usernames represents one of the most important innovations announced by WhatsApp on the privacy front. Once the deployment of the feature is complete, it will be possible to start new conversations without automatically sharing your phone number with people who are not part of your address book.
Meta also clarified that a searchable public list of usernames will not be created. To contact another user it will therefore be necessary to know their username, or use the link or QR code shared directly by the person concerned, preventing the accounts from being identified through a public search.
Those who want to have even greater control over who can contact them will also be able to activate an optional key. In this case, in addition to the username, anyone who wants to start a new conversation will also need to know this data.
The username will not replace the telephone number, which will still be necessary to register a WhatsApp account. Rather, it will represent a new identification system, designed to offer greater privacy protection without changing the way the application works.
