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WhatsApp is getting closer to rolling out its username feature. The new feature allows you to have WhatsApp conversations without sharing your phone number, adding a layer of privacy to your messaging experience. This much-needed privacy tool doesn’t have a release timeline yet.
WhatsApp continues to develop its username feature behind the scenes
The Meta-owned messaging app has been working on usernames for a long time. We have been tracking its developments since early last year, with several iterations of the feature showing up in early builds of WhatsApp. The idea is to let you message anyone without needing to give away your phone number, which can be risky at times. Telegram already does that.
WhatsApp is taking its own sweet time to refine this feature before a public rollout. Since it is fundamentally changing how you can connect with other users on the platform, the company likely wants to ensure proper measures have been put in place to prevent potential misuse or functional breakdown. In the meantime, it continues to test various UI designs for the feature.
The folks over at WABetaInfo, the ultimate destination for all things WhatsApp, recently discovered the in-development feature in a WhatsApp Web update. A screenshot shared by the publication shows a redesigned interface to create a username for the app. “Your friends and family can contact you on WhatsApp using this username,” the official description reads. “To protect your privacy, your username will be shown in place of your phone number.”
WhatsApp adds that “only people that know your username will be able to contact you.” Like phone numbers, every username must be unique for you to reach the right person. This means you cannot choose a username that has been already taken by someone else. This is similar to how platforms like X (Twitter) and Instagram usernames work. WhatsApp will let you check for the availability of your desired username when setting up the feature.
A future WhatsApp update should bring the feature
While a release date is missing, the latest developments suggest WhatsApp isn’t too far off rolling out usernames. A forthcoming update for the app should bring it. Beta users will probably receive the feature first, followed by a public rollout. You can check for WhatsApp updates on the Play Store or App Store. Stay tuned for more information about this and other new features the messaging giant has in the works.