They want your username. Not your number. Just the handle.
WhatsApp is finally circling back to a promise made in 2024. A feature that lets you hide behind a chosen alias instead of broadcasting your actual digits. Signal has had this for years. Privacy-first apps treated it like common sense. Now Meta is catching up.
You can reserve a name now. The full feature drops later this year but the queue is open. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads and yes. This.
Why numbers suck
Phone numbers are messy. They stick to everything. Identity theft. Marketing lists. The weird cousin you never talked to after Thanksgiving. They are universal identifiers and they are not private.
“There’s no directory to browse… people will need to know your exact name.”
That is how it works now. No algorithm suggesting friends. No data harvesting via your area code. You give someone the username. That is what new contacts see. Whether in a group or a one-on-one text.
If the person is already in your contacts list? Nothing changes. Old rules apply. WhatsApp confirmed to CNET that the protection is only for new interactions. You protect your number manually. You hand it over if you choose.
Do we need that much privacy?
Probably. Spam groups are the bane of modern life. Having a layer between you and the stranger adds control. Maybe a tiny bit. Maybe just enough.
Claim your name
It is easy. Almost too easy.
- Open WhatsApp.
- Tap the You tab.
- Select Account.
- Choose the new Username option.
It asks for a name. It tells you if it is taken. If it is free, you claim it. You cannot give it up later.
You can sync with Instagram or Facebook if you like consistency across the Meta empire. The page shows you a direct claim link for that.
Once set, you wait. A notification comes when the feature is live. Likely next month or two. When it launches, people find you by typing that name or the name plus a numeric key.
No more shouting your digits into the void. Just the name you picked. Whether they remember it? That remains to be seen.
