One of WhatsApp’s most sought-after features is finally headed to the Meta-owned messenger, if the new report from WABetaInfo is anything to go by (and it typically is). Usernames are coming to WhatsApp, something users have begged for for years, as a way to hide their phone number when adding new, unknown contacts.
The feature was first spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 25.17.10.70 update (available on the TestFlight app), and confirms that Meta is currently exploring the implementation of such a feature. When it’ll be ready for public consumption is unknown, though WhatsApp’s predictable schedule means a release likely isn’t far out.
For the privacy-conscious
You’ll have to be quick off the mark in claiming your username. WhatsApp will not allow for duplicate usernames and features a rather strict policy for the names you can use. Users cannot, for instance, have a username beginning with ‘www’ to potentially mislead other users into believing they are talking with a real business.
Usernames must consist of between 3-30 characters, and must also include at least one letter, and only certain characters are allowed: lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), periods, and underscores. Ending your username with a domain like .com or .net is also a big no-no, for the same reason stated above.
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It’s unclear whether users will be forced to adopt a username or if they can simply continue as normal with their phone number as the primary identifier. When deciding upon a new username, once all the stringent criteria are met, a confirmation screen will appear (with some confetti thrown in) to verify your new username.
Doing so will automatically notify your contacts of the change inside any ongoing chats. WABetaInfo’s report doesn’t mention if the username process is a permanent one, so you’ll want to be careful deciding on your name in the beginning, just to be safe. Looking at you, XxX-FeLIneDesTroYEr-XxX.
