WhatsApp to let users go by usernames, not phone numbers
Until now, it has allowed users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number.The app said in a blog post that over the “coming months”, users will get the option to be found and contacted only by their username, and not their number. A scramble for unique usernamesWhile people in the United States still prefer text messaging to WhatsApp, the app is widely used in Europe, Asia and much of the rest of the world. To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will hold back usernames for high-profile people or groups, such as celebrities, public figures and government entities.
- ▪Until now, it has allowed users to be contacted by anyone who has their phone number.The app said in a blog post that over the “coming months”, users will get the option to be found and contacted only by their username, and not their number
- ▪A scramble for unique usernamesWhile people in the United States still prefer text messaging to WhatsApp, the app is widely used in Europe, Asia and much of the rest of the world.
- ▪To prevent impersonation, WhatsApp will hold back usernames for high-profile people or groups, such as celebrities, public figures and government entities.
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| Original publisher | Al Jazeera English |
| Canonical URL | https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/30/whatsapp-to-let-users-go-by-usernames-not-phone-numbers?traffic_source=rss |
| Publication time | Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:54:44 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-30T07:19:23.411Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-30T07:19:23.411Z |
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| Summary | WeSearch · cerebras-chat (WeSearch summarizer) |
| Summary source text | contentText |
| Citation coverage | Summary is a WeSearch-generated derivative; primary citation is the original publisher URL. |
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
News|TechnologyWhatsApp to let users go by usernames, not phone numbersWhatsApp says the feature is designed to give its three billion users a new layer of control over who can contact them.ListenListen (2 mins)SaveClick here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoA WhatsApp icon [File: Martin Meissner/AP]By Al Jazeera Staff and APPublished On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026WhatsApp 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…
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