WhatsApp, an instant messaging platform and subsidiary of tech giant Meta, has announced its new move to start roll out username reservations as a new privacy feature that will allow users to connect without sharing their phone numbers.
WhatsApp made this announcement on Monday, stating that reservations started on June 29 in advance of the feature’s official rollout later this year.
According to the statement, users will receive in-app notifications once the option becomes available to them.
According to WhatsApp, the new feature allows users to communicate with new contacts using a unique username instead of their real phone numbers, giving them more control over their privacy.
Explaining further, the company also noted there will be no public directory or username suggestions. It clarified that anyone wishing to contact a user for the first time must know the person’s exact username.
On its verified X handle, the company stated that, it has also introduced an optional “username key,” an added security feature that requires first-time contacts to enter a unique key before sending a message, providing extra protection against unwanted messages.
The statement shared via X read, “Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature.
“With over three billion people on WhatsApp, many names overlap. That’s why we’re opening reservations early to give everyone an opportunity to secure the username that matters to them”.
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Usernames Offer Anonymity, Heighten Surveillance
WhatsApp’s new username feature lets people connect without revealing phone numbers. Meta touts it as a privacy upgrade to join group chats without handing out a number. This could help activists use pseudonyms, but analysts warn of pitfalls: for example, reusing an Instagram or Facebook handle could expose identities via linked profiles.
WhatsApp also offers an optional PIN-based “username key” for first-contact verification, but experts emphasize that Meta still collects communication metadata. WhatsApp’s encryption has been valued by opposition figures as safer than calls or texts, so it’s unclear if usernames truly shield dissenters.
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