Summary
- In a notice to companies, Meta confirms that it is developing a username function for WhatsApp;
- Companies and individuals will be able to use usernames as an alternative to phone numbers, improving privacy;
- The expectation is that the new resource will be released by the second half of 2026.
For some time now, Meta has been working on an update that will make WhatsApp support usernames as an alternative to identifying by phone number. When? It’s not clear yet, but it shouldn’t be long. The company started to notify companies that usernames are on the way.
The warning began to be issued by email. In the message, Meta implies that both individuals and organizations will be able to display their usernames in interactions via WhatsApp, without the need to disclose a telephone number for this purpose.
This means that if you are talking to a company’s customer service and both parties are using a username, one side does not need to know the other’s phone number, which adds to the privacy aspect.
In the case of companies, the username can also help prevent fraud based on phone numbers pretending to be the company on WhatsApp. To this end, corporate usernames will be able to display the verification seal that is already offered by Meta.
When will usernames finally come to WhatsApp?
As already stated, there is no set date for this yet. But the expectation is that usernames will start working on WhatsApp by the second half of 2026. This is because Meta has warned companies that use WhatsApp Business that they have until June 2026 to update their systems to make them compatible with the new approach upon launch.
This is if you are interested in using a username, as this feature will be optional.
Before the official launch of the new feature, WhatsApp must allow the user to reserve the name of their interest. But WhatsApp names will have to follow some rules, such as having at least one letter, not ending in a domain (like “.com”) and having between three and 30 characters.
It is worth noting that messaging services such as Telegram and Signal already support usernames, and have for a long time.
With information from WABetaInfo
Source: https://tecnoblog.net/noticias/whatsapp-meta-confirma-que-nomes-de-usuario-estao-a-caminho/
