From the time when WhatsApp was launched, phone number was the identity used to connect with people from all over the world. Anyone who wanted to connect with you should have those 10digit numbers and the person can directly contact you whether he is a classmate or co-worker. Now, finally things are changing for better and an updated WhatsApp feature named WhatsApp Usernames has been rolled out in a phase wise manner globally. Your mobile number would still remain the registered number on WhatsApp but you will need not to share it for contacting anyone. It is a way to connect, message and call with anyone without sharing your registered mobile number. The company started giving this feature to people to start reserving their usernames. This feature is mainly added for the privacy concerns arising from sharing your mobile number because mobile numbers nowadays are registered from Bank Accounts and other government ID’s and the data can be easily misused and manipulated which poses a threat to the privacy of the users from cyberattacks. The steps for reserving a username on WhatsApp are as follows-
Open WhatsApp Settings – Tap Account – Tap Username – Type in the handle you want
The reason why it is different from Instagram or X usernames is because WhatsApp does not wants to build it like a social handling system instead it is trying the other way round where no public directory would be maintained so no suggestions would be shown when you search for a particular person’s username. You have to know the exact username of the person to contact with them for the first time. This change is made voluntary by WhatsApp through which a person can continue using mobile number as the User ID and it is not forceful to switch towards usernames. WhatsApp product leadership has placed this update mainly as a privacy feature so its main aim is to let people connect without revealing their personal details.
Business accounts will also be able to sign up for a username for early access based on how their users handles match their current WhatsApp Display Name, Meta Verified Name or Instagram/Facebook business handle at the time they register as a business user. Additionally, WhatsApp is implementing a new feature called B2B Scoped User ID (BSUID), meaning that from now on, anytime a customer interacts with a business, their unique BSUID will be included in any incoming webhook sent from the business instead of just their phone number, therefore businesses that have previously been tracking customer interactions via only the customer's phone number will no longer be able to track customer conversations on the username used to contact the business. WhatsApp has also established a clear timeline and will require all API based businesses to update their systems in order to be able to accommodate usernames and BSUIDs, and the message is unequivocal from WhatsApp, do not wait until launch day to test your systems. All existing customer relationships are unaffected by this change, all previously established customer phone numbers will be converted to BSUIDs for every customer with whom you have previously interacted, thereby allowing you to continue to communicate with your existing customers as you normally would. With the introduction of WhatsApp Usernames, there will be a new way of managing identity on WhatsApp. There is a shift from using your phone number to store your identity on WhatsApp to using your phone number only to log in to WhatsApp. This is done on a voluntary basis, but it will have an impact on how individuals and businesses use WhatsApp - which is one of the largest messaging services available today.