Users of WhatsApp may soon no longer need to share their phone numbers to connect with others after the messaging platform announced plans to introduce usernames.
The new feature will allow users to create unique usernames that others can use to find and contact them, reducing the need to reveal personal phone numbers when chatting with new contacts, businesses or online communities.
According to WhatsApp, once the feature is enabled, users who choose to use usernames will be able to interact with others without displaying their mobile numbers, a move expected to significantly improve privacy and security on the platform.
The update could prove particularly useful for business owners, content creators and individuals who regularly communicate with people outside their personal contact lists but prefer to keep their phone numbers private.
Privacy advocates have welcomed the change, noting that phone numbers have long served as both an identity and a point of vulnerability for users facing spam, scams and unwanted contact.
The feature also brings WhatsApp closer to rival messaging platforms that have long relied on usernames rather than phone numbers as the primary method of identification.
Will usernames transform how billions of people connect online, or will phone numbers remain central to digital communication? One thing is clear — WhatsApp's latest move could mark one of the biggest changes to the app's identity since its launch.
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