WhatsApp is gearing up to launch a long-awaited feature: usernames. With usernames, users will be able to connect with others without sharing their actual phone number.
Spotted by Hob (via Technoblog) in a recent TestFlight beta version of the app, this under-development feature will finally allow users to pick a unique handle. Yes, just like on Telegram, Signal, and most other modern messaging platforms.
While the feature isn’t live yet, even for beta testers, WABetaInfo found strings that seem to confirm that WhatsApp is actively building out the interface and rules around the new username system.
How is it going to work?
The system seems to be designed specifically with phone number privacy in mind. So, once it goes live, users who reach out to you without having your number will see your username by default.
Current rules for usernames include:
“Usernames cannot begin with “www.” as this could mislead users into thinking they are interacting with an official website entity. Usernames must include at least one letter, which prevents the use of usernames made up only of numbers or symbols. Only certain characters are allowed: lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), periods, and underscores. This will help maintain a clean and predictable structure across all usernames.”
Once a valid username is chosen, WhatsApp will confirm it with a cheerful confetti animation. From then on, the username will show up in conversations and group chats where the user’s phone number would’ve otherwise been visible.
Username changes will also notify others
If you update your username later, WhatsApp plans to drop a system message into chats to let others know about the change, similar to how it already handles profile photo or phone number updates.
A future update to WhatsApp’s web version will also allow users to check if a desired username is still available.
When is it coming?
Again, this feature is still in development and hasn’t rolled out for testing yet. But the presence of strings for it in the latest beta versions suggests that it’s getting closer to launch, adding to what has been a busy last few days after it finally got an official iPad app.
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