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WhatsApp Lets You Reserve a Username, Making Your Phone Number More Private
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WhatsApp Lets You Reserve a Username, Making Your Phone Number More Private

CNET · Jun 30, 2026, 9:40 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • Whats App is preparing to roll out usernames, a feature that lets you chat with others on the platform without handing over your personal phone number -- you'll simply share your unique Whats App username instead.
  • Whats App first announced the goal of providing this feature in 2024.
  • Meta, which also owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, started allowing users to reserve their Whats App usernames on Monday, ahead of the feature's official launch later this year.

Whats App is preparing to roll out usernames, a feature that lets you chat with others on the platform without handing over your personal phone number -- you'll simply share your unique Whats App username instead.

Whats App first announced the goal of providing this feature in 2024. Other privacy-focused chat apps like Signal have supported usernames for a few years now.

Meta, which also owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, started allowing users to reserve their Whats App usernames on Monday, ahead of the feature's official launch later this year.

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