WhatsApp launches usernames: how to reserve yours and hide the phone number

Usernames are an extra layer of privacy completely optionalas explained by the vice president of product Alice Newton Rexwhich will be represented with a at sign (@), like Instagram or X social networks have. Whoever has one can share it with the people they choose, and they can start a conversation without needing to know the phone number.

The feature is deliberately intended to protect privacy: There is no public directory or search engine that indexes it, that is, your username It will not appear in Google searches as happens with social networks. To contact someone, you have to know their exact name. There is no way to “find” someone by browsing the platform.

Messages that arrive through the username appear in the same mailbox as always, no separate trayand will continue under the end-to-end security protocol (end-to-end encrypted) that WhatsApp has for your conversations on the platform, whether or not they are in chat groups or broadcast channels.

What WhatsApp began to deploy starting this Monday is not the function itself, but the reservation period– Users can choose and save their username now, before the function is active. WhatsApp will announce within the app itself when the usernames will be available to use, which will occur later in 2025.

To reserve a username you must access Settings > Account > Username in the most recent version of WhatsApp.

The simultaneous and global opening of reserves is an intentional decision by Meta: that everyone has the same opportunity to claim the name they wantwithout advantages by geographical area.

On the other hand, for those who want to have greater control, there is an optional key (username key) that works as a second requirement: in addition to knowing the username, The contact must have that password to be able to write. It is an additional protection designed especially for public people.

Meanwhile, content creators, businesses, and verified accounts have the ability to reserve the same user that you already use on Instagram or Facebooklinking WhatsApp with the Meta Account. This allows you to maintain a consistent identity across all platforms.

Los usernames from verified accounts and high-profile public figures are blocked preventively, as in the case of Lionel Messi, to avoid identity theft. No one will be able to register, for example, the name of a politician, a celebrity or a well-known brand.

With this announcement, an unavoidable question arises: if indeed the implementation of this new function, which makes it easier to schedule contacts, will be the replacement of telephone numbers. According to WhatsApp, they will not disappear since they are necessary to create an account on the platform.

The difference is that once enabled, whoever types first through the usernames they won’t see the numberunless you already have it saved in your contacts.