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WhatsApp to let users go by usernames, not phone numbers
Key takeaways
- Whats App says the feature is designed to give its three billion users a new layer of control over who can contact them.
- The Meta-owned platform said on Monday that it has begun letting users reserve unique usernames before a wider rollout later this year when people will be able to choose to be found and contacted only by their handles.
- WhatsApp offers end-to-end encrypted communication across smartphones, tablets and desktop computers.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Whats App says the feature is designed to give its three billion users a new layer of control over who can contact them.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo A Whats App icon [File: Martin Meissner/AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026Whats App will let users go by usernames instead of phone numbers, closing a longstanding privacy gap on the app used by more than three billion people.
The Meta-owned platform said on Monday that it has begun letting users reserve unique usernames before a wider rollout later this year when people will be able to choose to be found and contacted only by their handles.
Article preview — originally published by Al Jazeera. Full story at the source.
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