WhatsApp is set to let people chat without having to swap digits with other people. Instead, people will be able to exchange unique usernames similar to those of social media handles.
Starting Monday, June 29, 2026, WhatsApp users will begin to be able to reserve a name via the app. However, it will not be mandatory. Furthermore, the firm stated that individuals will be able to remove or change their usernames at any time. Additionally, there will still be options to report or block unwanted messages.
What’s New with WhatsApp?
Usernames will be limited to 35 characters, and there will be a few restrictions. The app will also be setting aside some high-profile celebrities and officials whose names will not be made available to anyone else.
So it is unlikely WhatsApp will be overrun with users calling themselves Taylor Swift, Beyonce, or Donald Trump, for example. The Meta-owned firm described usernames as a privacy feature.
Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s head of product, stated that she understood from users that they did not want to share their phone numbers to contact other users, particularly in group chats. Newton-Rex hopes the username feature will “give users control over how they choose to show up” on the app.
Carisa Veliz, a professor at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power, stated that usernames are “a good feature, but even if it does offer more privacy, remember WhatsApp is not a privacy-friendly app overall. It collects much metadata about users for marketing purposes.”
However, she did point out that Meta owns WhatsApp and Meta is “one of the tech companies with the worst track records when it comes to privacy.”
WhatsApp does not use the content of private chats for advertising. Those are protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning the firm cannot read the contents of messages. However, it does use data like who you message and when, which they use to support advertising.
The minimum age for using the platform is 13, and messaging apps will not be included in the UK’s upcoming social media ban for under-16-year-olds, due to be implemented next year.
Sources:
BBC: WhatsApp to let people chat without swapping phone numbers
Wired: Usernames Are Coming to WhatsApp Soon. Here’s How to Reserve Yours
Image by Jeso Carneiro Courtesy of Flickr – Creative Commons
