One of the world’s most widely used messaging platforms, WhatsApp, is closing one of its longest-standing privacy vulnerabilities by rolling out a new feature that will allow users to connect with others exclusively through custom usernames, eliminating the mandatory requirement to share personal phone numbers to connect on the app. With over 3 billion active users across the globe, the Meta-owned social platform announced the update on Monday, opening up early reservations for unique usernames ahead of a full global rollout scheduled for later this year.
WhatsApp product vice president Alice Newton-Rox told reporters that the new functionality has been built as a core privacy-focused feature, designed to put greater control of personal information into users’ hands. Unlike many social platforms that maintain public searchable directories of usernames and offer autocomplete search suggestions, WhatsApp’s system will be intentionally restricted: new contacts will only be able to reach a user if they know their exact username, cutting down on unwanted outreach from strangers who have obtained a user’s phone number through public or unscrupulous means.
For years, WhatsApp has offered full end-to-end encryption for all communications across its smartphone, tablet and desktop versions, but the platform has carried a key privacy flaw: any user who possesses another person’s phone number can contact them directly on the app, regardless of whether they know the user personally. Up until this announcement, the platform’s only privacy tools to counter unwanted contact have been limited to blocking individual users and muting calls from unknown numbers, which many users have criticized as insufficient for protecting personal privacy.
While the platform remains far less popular than native SMS texting in the United States, it has become a dominant communication tool across Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and most other regions globally, making this privacy update impactful for a huge swath of the global population. The company has already kicked off early reservations for usernames, a move designed to accommodate the expected rush for catchy, desirable handles that are highly sought after on digital platforms. Newton-Rox explained the decision to open early reservations, noting that high demand for popular usernames was the key driver for opening access ahead of the full feature launch.
The platform has put rules in place to protect users from impersonation: usernames must fall between 3 and 35 characters, and the service will reserve high-profile handles for public figures, celebrities, government entities and notable organizations to prevent bad actors from impersonating prominent people or groups. No exact full launch date has been announced, with the company only confirming that the full functionality will roll out to all users in the coming months.