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Soon, you will be able to start new conversations on WhatsApp without revealing your phone number.
For more than 15 years, a phone number has been the foundation of every WhatsApp account. If someone wanted to message you, join the same group, or connect for business, they needed your mobile number. That long-standing system is now changing.
Meta has officially announced that WhatsApp will introduce usernames, giving users a new way to connect while keeping their phone numbers private. Once the feature is fully live, users who enable it will have their phone number remain hidden unless they choose to share it when someone starts a new conversation using their username. However, phone numbers will still be required to register a WhatsApp account. Username will not be used as a login to access your account.
Existing conversations and saved contacts will not be affected, since those will keep working exactly as they do now through phone numbers.
The update addresses a long-standing concern of social discomfort, particularly for people who regularly communicate with customers, online communities, marketplace buyers, classmates, or large WhatsApp groups.
How the Username System Will Work
WhatsApp has revealed several key details about the new feature.
WhatsApp has been careful to distinguish its version of usernames from the public-facing handles found on platforms like Instagram or X. Unlike many social platforms, WhatsApp will not maintain a public directory where people can search for usernames. Instead, someone must already know your exact username before they can start a conversation with you. This design is intended to reduce spam and protect user privacy. Meta is also reserving usernames belonging to public figures, celebrities, and organizations to reduce the risk of impersonation.
For an extra layer of control, WhatsApp is also rolling out an optional Username Key. This acts like a password that a first-time contact must enter alongside the username before a message can go through. During the current reservation phase, users can set a four-digit key, though this will later be upgraded to a full alphanumeric code once usernames officially launch. The key can be changed at any time, giving people a way to quietly cut off access without changing their username altogether.
Username Reservations Have Begun
WhatsApp has not switched the feature on for everyone just yet. Instead, it has opened a reservation period so its enormous user base, which the company says exceeds 3 billion people, gets a fair shot at claiming the username they actually want before the feature becomes fully functional later in 2026.
To reserve a username, you need to update the App and head to Settings > Account > Username. From there, type in a custom username of 3 to 35 characters or rely on an in-app generator for ideas. Reservations are rolling out gradually across countries, and users will get an in-app notification once the option appears where they live.
Creators, small businesses, and organizations get an added perk. They will be able to claim the same handle they already use on Instagram or Facebook, keeping their identity consistent across Meta’s apps.
What Happens Next?
The username feature is currently entering its rollout phase, beginning with reservations before expanding globally later in 2026.
For WhatsApp’s more than three billion users, the update represents more than a convenience feature. It changes the way people establish contact on one of the world’s largest messaging platforms by making usernames, rather than phone numbers, the first point of connection.
