You are about to be charged £0.00
WhatsApp is laying the groundwork to ditch mobile numbers entirely from its messaging service.
The Meta-owned chat app, which is used by over 3 billion worldwide, started to roll-out usernames back in June. Like a handle on X, formerly Twitter, or an email address, this enabled WhatsApp users to switch their mobile number for an alphanumeric username, like @Andrew93 or @JaneSmith.
For most of us, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something that means something to you — or a name that only people you want to contact you will know. But if you need help picking something that hasn't already been claimed by the billions on the platform, the Meta-owned app has a username generator to make one for you.
You can reserve your username now while WhatsApp prepares to roll out the feature in the coming months | META PRESS OFFICE
WhatsApp hasn't flipped the switch on usernames yet, which it promises will be coming "later this year". But the worldwide launch could be fast approaching, with WhatsApp adding the ability to save a username as a new contact on your device. Until now, the only way to add someone was with a mobile number.
"The username field is shown between the first and last name fields and the phone number section," according to WABetaInfo, a blog dedicated to incoming features unearthed in beta versions of the chat app. You can add a new contact in WhatsApp by tapping the + button in the top-right of the main Chats tab, which gives you the choice between adding a new contact, creating a new group chat, new broadcast, or new community.
Closer to the launch, WhatsApp is expected to automatically populate the username field by pulling the data from the chat, WABetaInfo reports. That should make it easier to add someone from a group chat or a community with a few taps — and no need to know thier mobile phone number.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- You can now stream 19 classic Hollywood films for FREE
- Google unveils trio of new Android phones with faster chips, better cameras
- Google launches first-of-its-kind feature on new Pixel Watch 5
- iPhone Air review
- Every Freely TV in UK just got upgraded with 5 new channels
- Virgin Media's latest broadband deal puts £300 back in your pocket
- New Fire TV Stick and Roku rival from Apple is 'nearly ready to launch'
WhatsApp is marketing the addition of usernames as a boon for privacy
|META PRESS OFFICE
According to WhatsApp, the decision to introduce usernames was taken in a bid to promote privacy. In a blog post about the incoming feature, the Meta-owned service wrote: "When someone new walks into your life – a classmate, a neighbor, someone you meet at an event – sharing a phone number can feel like a big step.
"That’s because a phone number is personal and it’s tied to so many parts of your life. Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits."
If you're running the latest version of WhatsApp on iPhone or Android, you can reserve your username now to avoid disappointment...or a slew of random numbers or characters after your name to differentiate it from the 3 billion other people who rely on WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends and family every day.
To do that, head to Settings > Account > Username and try to reserve your preferred moniker. And then it's just a case of playing the waiting game, with WhatsApp stating that it will be "rolling out usernames gradually over the coming months and will notify you in WhatsApp when they're available in your country."