WhatsApp is starting a new trend where users can now connect with usernames instead of having phone numbers.
According to WhatsApp, the function is intended to give its three billion users more control over who can get in touch with them.
WhatsApp will solve a long-standing privacy vulnerability on the service, which is used by over three billion people, by allowing users to use usernames rather than phone numbers.
Before a broader rollout later this year, when users will be able to select to be found and contacted solely by their handles, the Meta-owned platform announced on Monday that it has started allowing users to reserve unique usernames.
While people in the United States still prefer text messaging to WhatsApp, the app is widely used in Europe, Asia and much of the rest of the world.
Catchy online handles are highly coveted, and users will likely scramble to claim a desirable one.
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“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, groups, and creators who already have profiles on Facebook and Instagram, two of Meta’s social media platforms, will get the opportunity to claim their usernames on WhatsApp.
Usernames must consist of three to thirty-five characters. WhatsApp will withhold usernames for prominent individuals or groups, including public personalities, celebrities, and governmental organisations, in order to avoid imitation.
Just last year, in an effort to safeguard users and stop fraud on the platform, WhatsApp banned more than 6.8 million accounts connected to criminal scam centres and added additional security features.
This was revealed in a statement released on Tuesday by Kojo Boakye, Meta’s vice president of public policy for Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey.
According to Boakye, WhatsApp’s worldwide policy to prevent illegal behaviour and safeguard users included the removal of accounts between January and June 2025.
“We are constantly improving our defences to stay ahead of bad actors, and the fight against scams is unrelenting,” he said.
He clarified that the accounts were banned before the fraudsters could fully execute their plans, thereby preventing potential harm to millions of users.
