A username is more flexible, more pseudonymous, more under your control.
In an age when the phone number has become an unwanted key to one's private life, WhatsApp is offering its three billion users a quieter door — a username that lets people connect without surrendering the digits tied to their location, carrier, and identity. The feature, rolling out gradually from Monday, reflects a growing recognition across the industry that digital presence need not be anchored to the physical infrastructure of a SIM card. Yet the gesture arrives within a larger architecture of data collection, and thoughtful observers note that a single privacy feature cannot rewrite the deeper relationship between a platform and the information it gathers about how, when, and with whom its users speak.
- Three billion people have long had to hand over their phone number simply to message someone on WhatsApp — a friction that has quietly eroded trust, especially in group settings with strangers.
- The username rollout creates a genuine shield: phone numbers will no longer be visible to other users, impersonation of public figures will be blocked, and the change remains entirely optional.
- Privacy researchers are welcoming the feature with one hand and raising a caution with the other — WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption protects message content, but metadata about who you talk to and when still flows into Meta's advertising machinery.
- Signal introduced the same system in 2024, and WhatsApp's adoption signals that username-based messaging is becoming an industry baseline, not a differentiator.
- The announcement lands as WhatsApp prepares a leadership change, with Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah set to replace Will Cathcart after seven years — a transition that may shape how far the platform's privacy ambitions reach.
WhatsApp is preparing to let its three billion users connect without ever exchanging phone numbers. Beginning Monday, people can claim a unique username — up to 35 characters — and use it in place of their number when messaging others. The rollout will be gradual, and the feature is optional; those comfortable sharing their number can continue to do so.
The change responds to something the company heard consistently from users: many people, particularly in group conversations with acquaintances or strangers, are reluctant to share a number tied to their real-world identity. WhatsApp's head of product framed it as returning control to users. Once live, phone numbers will be hidden from other users by default, no public username directory will exist, and attempts to claim the identity of public figures will be blocked to prevent impersonation.
The announcement has reopened a familiar debate. Oxford privacy researcher Carisa Veliz acknowledged the feature offers a real benefit, but noted that WhatsApp still collects metadata — the patterns of who you message and when — to support Meta's advertising business. Message content is protected by end-to-end encryption, so Meta cannot read what you write. But your communication network and its rhythms remain visible to the company. For Veliz, a username feature, however welcome, does not alter Meta's broader record on privacy.
WhatsApp follows Signal, which launched an identical system in 2024, suggesting the industry is converging on usernames as a standard alternative to phone-number identity. Phone numbers will still be required to create an account, so the shift is partial. The feature arrives as the platform prepares a leadership transition: Kunal Shah, founder of an Indian fintech company, will succeed Will Cathcart as head of WhatsApp after seven years.
WhatsApp is preparing to let its three billion users message each other without ever exchanging phone numbers. Starting Monday, people will be able to claim a unique username—up to 35 characters long—and use it to connect with others on the platform. The rollout will happen gradually over the coming months, but the company has made the feature optional; users who prefer the old way can keep sharing their phone numbers as they always have.
The move addresses something the company heard repeatedly from its user base: many people don't want to hand over their phone number just to stay in touch, especially in group conversations where they might not know everyone involved. Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's head of product, framed it as giving users more control over how they present themselves on the app. Once the feature is fully live, phone numbers will no longer be visible to other users. There will be no public directory of usernames to browse through. And if someone tries to claim a username belonging to a high-profile official or celebrity, they'll be blocked from doing so—a guardrail meant to prevent impersonation at scale.
The feature itself is straightforward: users can change or delete their username whenever they want, and the existing tools for blocking and reporting unwanted messages remain in place. But the announcement has surfaced a familiar tension in the privacy debate around Meta's flagship messaging app. Carisa Veliz, a privacy researcher at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power, acknowledged that usernames do offer a genuine privacy benefit. Yet she was quick to note that WhatsApp's broader relationship with user data tells a more complicated story. The app collects metadata—information about who you message and when—and uses it to support Meta's advertising business. The actual content of your conversations is protected by end-to-end encryption, meaning Meta cannot read what you write. But the patterns of your communication are fair game.
This distinction matters. WhatsApp does not sell your messages to advertisers or use the words you type to target ads at you. That protection is real. But the company does know your communication graph—the network of people you talk to—and the timing of those conversations. For a company owned by Meta, which has faced repeated criticism over its data practices, even this level of collection raises questions about whether a single privacy feature can meaningfully change the overall picture. Veliz put it plainly: Meta remains one of the tech companies with the worst track records on privacy, and a username feature, however useful, doesn't alter that fundamental reality.
WhatsApp is not the first to offer this. Signal, the privacy-focused messaging app, introduced an identical username system in 2024. The feature is becoming an industry standard, a recognition that phone numbers are blunt instruments for identity in the digital age—they're tied to your real location, your carrier, your billing address. A username is more flexible, more pseudonymous, more under your control. For WhatsApp users who have felt uncomfortable sharing their number with strangers or acquaintances, the feature will be a genuine relief. For those worried about Meta's data practices more broadly, it's a step in the right direction, but not a solution. Phone numbers will still be required to create a WhatsApp account in the first place, and that requirement isn't going away. The feature rolls out as the company prepares for a leadership transition: Kunal Shah, founder of an Indian fintech startup, will take over as head of WhatsApp, replacing Will Cathcart after seven years in the role.
Notable Quotes
Users didn't always want to share their phone numbers in order to be in contact with others, particularly in group chats.— Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp head of product
It is a good feature, but even if it does offer more privacy, remember WhatsApp is not a privacy-friendly app overall. Meta is one of the tech companies with the worst track records when it comes to privacy.— Carisa Veliz, Oxford University privacy researcher
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So WhatsApp is finally letting people hide their phone numbers. Does this actually solve the privacy problem people have been worried about?
It solves one specific problem—the discomfort of handing your number to someone you don't fully trust or don't know well. That's real. But it doesn't touch the bigger issue, which is that Meta still knows who you're talking to and when.
But the messages themselves are encrypted, right? Meta can't read what you're saying.
Correct. The content is protected. But think about what they can see: your entire contact graph, the timing of your messages, patterns of who you talk to most. That metadata is incredibly valuable for advertising purposes, and it's not encrypted.
So a username makes you feel more private, but you're not actually more private in the way that matters?
It's more nuanced than that. You are more private in one way—a stranger can't look up your phone number and find you. But you're not more private from Meta itself. The company still has the same view into your behavior.
Why would Meta introduce this feature if it doesn't actually help with their data collection?
Because it addresses user anxiety, and it's becoming standard in the industry. Signal did it first. Users want it. And it's a genuine convenience—you don't have to worry about your number being shared or sold. Meta gets credit for listening to users without having to change the parts of their business model that actually matter to them.
So it's a real feature that solves a real problem, just not the problem people think they're solving?
Exactly. It's useful. But useful and privacy-protective aren't the same thing.