WhatsApp’s new ‘username’ feature: What it means, how it boosts users’ privacy
New Delhi, June 30 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) WhatsApp, the instant messaging service owned by Meta, is set to unveil a new feature aimed at enhancing users’ convenience and addressing their privacy concerns.
The one-of-a-kind feature will delink the messaging service from users’ mobile numbers, allowing them to converse and interact online without sharing their personal credentials. This is set to add another layer of privacy for billions of users, allowing them to stay connected via WhatsApp usernames.
The new feature marks a decisive shift from the current system (via mobile numbers) and will allow users to connect with ‘usernames’, which they will have to get registered. The company has already announced the launch of global reservations of ‘usernames’, allowing crores of people across the world to get a dedicated username issued in their name. That username will become the key pivot when Meta-owned WhatsApp launches the feature later this year.
Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg also stated that the upcoming feature is “designed to protect the privacy of your phone number”.
“A username is a way for you to connect with someone on WhatsApp without giving away your phone number. You choose your own, and it doesn’t have to match your handle on any other app,” the company said in a statement on Monday.
“People need to know your exact username to find you. You can update your username right in WhatsApp,” it added.
This ambitious drive comes close on the heels of Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah taking charge of WhatsApp, even as the company seeks to tap into the platform’s vast global reach and monetise the global app.
Registration of Usernames
Under the new feature, users will be expected to pick up a unique username globally and use this primarily as their mode of communication. For privacy, they could choose to stop sharing their phone numbers and instead connect via ‘usernames’ registered on their respective phones.
According to WhatsApp, users can prepare their own username, which should vary between 3 and 35 characters.
Users can set their “username key” to maintain control over their contact list.
Once the feature is live, your phone number will not be visible when you message someone or a business entity for the first time.
WhatsApp users will be expected to choose a username that is unique and distinct. They may also get help from a username generator if they find it difficult to do so on their own.
According to reports, the process for registration of ‘usernames’ may start as early as this week.
Owing to its about three billion subscribers, WhatsApp hopes to carry out registrations globally throughout the year and launch the feature by year-end.
Users will be notified in their applications whenever the feature gets activated in their country.
According to WhatsApp, the process of reserving a ‘personalised username’ would not take more than a few seconds.
