WhatsApp will allow hiding phone numbers: unique usernames will appear

WhatsApp is working on implementing one of the most anticipated features - the ability to create a unique username. This means that soon you will not have to share your phone number to start a chat. The innovation is already being tested in the beta version of the application and may appear in the near future. This is reported by UNN with reference to Mashable.

Details

According to the publication, WhatsApp, which belongs to Meta, is finally implementing a basic feature that has not yet existed - unique usernames.

Instead of mandatory use of a phone number, users will be able to create their own name from letters and numbers. It must be unique and not contain special characters (except for periods or underscores). Also, you cannot use "www." at the beginning and domains such as ".com" at the end - in order to avoid fraud or misleading.

Why is this needed

First of all, as noted, this increases privacy: you do not have to reveal your number to people you do not want to share contacts with.

For many, this is a long-awaited update that will greatly facilitate interaction in public or work chats, the publication says.

As soon as the function becomes available, others will see a notification in the chat when the username is changed - this will help to avoid confusion in communication.

Currently, the function is under development and is being tested in the beta version of the application (v25.17.10.70), so there may be changes before the wide release. However, everything indicates that the implementation will take place soon, the publication notes.

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