For years, giving someone your WhatsApp contact has meant giving them one thing first—your phone number. Whether it was a new business contact, someone you met at an event or a stranger added to a group, sharing your number was often unavoidable.
However, this is changing. As of August 8, WhatsApp has started rolling out in-app adverts to users over the new feature.
WhatsApp is introducing usernames, a new feature designed to allow users to connect with people without immediately revealing their phone numbers. The feature is expected to launch later this year, although WhatsApp says it will be rolled out gradually and users will be notified when it becomes available in their country.
For Nigerians, who rely heavily on WhatsApp for everything from family conversations to business and customer service, the change could be particularly significant.
How the New WhatsApp Username Feature Works
Instead of giving a new contact your phone number, you will eventually be able to share your unique WhatsApp username.
WhatsApp says users can reserve their preferred usernames ahead of the full launch. To reserve one, users on the latest version of the app can go to Settings > Account > Username.
Under the new WhatsApp username feature, it also allows you the option to use your Instagram handle or Facebook username.
The username will essentially provide another way for people to find and contact you without having access to your phone number.
However, this does not mean a public directory where people can browse through millions of usernames. Someone who wants to contact you for the first time will need to know your exact username. WhatsApp is also introducing an optional username key, which gives users another layer of control over who can reach them.
Read Also: WhatsApp Officially Announces End of Phone Number Use, Roll Out Username Policy
Will Your Phone Number Disappear?
Your mobile number may not essentially disappear. The username feature does not mean WhatsApp is removing phone numbers from accounts. Rather, it gives users another way to connect with people they do not already know.
WhatsApp says that once usernames launch, when you message a person or business for the first time, they will no longer see your phone number if you have enabled a username.
That could be particularly useful for Nigerians who use one WhatsApp number for both personal and business communication
What You Should Do Now
If you want a particular username, however, it may be worth reserving it when the option becomes available to you. WhatsApp has opened reservations ahead of the full launch because, with more than three billion users on the platform, many people are likely to want the same names.
Ultimately, the new policy is less about changing how Nigerians use WhatsApp and more about giving users greater control over who gets access to their phone number.
And in a country where a WhatsApp number can double as a personal contact, business line and gateway to countless group chats, that extra layer of privacy could make a noticeable difference.
Backstory…
The latest development comes as WhatsApp, the messaging platform owned by Meta, continues to roll out new features and updates aimed at changing how users communicate and manage their privacy.
Just few weeks ago, the platform introduced an update that allows people whose numbers have not been saved by a user to view their Status updates, provided they have previously chatted on WhatsApp.
This latest username feature comes just weeks after that update and is expected to give users another way to connect with people without immediately sharing their phone numbers, marking another major change to how users interact on the platform.
