Meta owned WhatsApp has begun letting its more than three billion users reserve unique usernames, a long awaited privacy update that will eventually let people message and call one another without sharing phone numbers.
The company announced the change on Monday, June 29, 2026, opening username reservations immediately even though the feature itself will not be fully available right away. WhatsApp said usernames will roll out gradually over the coming months, with users receiving an in app notification once the feature becomes available in their country.
In its announcement, the company explained: “Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature. With over three billion people on WhatsApp a lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them.”
To claim a handle, users must update to the latest version of WhatsApp and navigate to “Settings > Account > Username.”
Unlike username systems on platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp says it is designing the feature with anonymity in mind. The company stressed that there won’t be a directory to browse users by username, nor a recommendation system, and that “people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time.” Users will also be able to enable an optional username key, requiring contacts to know both the username and a unique code before sending a first message.
Once the feature is live, phone numbers will no longer be shared automatically in situations such as being added to a large group chat or messaging someone for the first time. Creators, small businesses and organizations will also be able to claim the same username they already use on Instagram or Facebook, helping brands maintain consistent identities across Meta’s apps.
According to industry trackers, the rollout is expected to begin with a small group of countries reportedly including Algeria, Azerbaijan, Ghana, Libya and Nepal in early July, with broader global availability following through September 2026. Businesses using WhatsApp’s Business API have separately been told to update their systems by June 2026 to support a new business-scoped identifier tied to the change.
WhatsApp’s move follows similar features long offered by rival encrypted messengers. The Signal encrypted messaging service has allowed users to choose a custom username since February 2024, following a public test phase that began in November 2023, while Telegram has supported usernames since 2013.
