Overview
- WhatsApp has begun letting users in Italy reserve unique usernames through the latest app under Settings > Account > Username so they can use those names instead of sharing their phone number.
- When a user enables the username option, WhatsApp will hide their phone number in chats, and the company says conversations started by username will require knowing the exact handle to find or message someone.
- Meta says there will be no public searchable directory of usernames and that an optional ‘username key’ PIN can be set so others must know that code before sending a first message.
- Small businesses, creators and organisations can opt to keep the same username used on Instagram or Facebook to preserve branding, and Meta opened early reservations to reduce name collisions among its billions of users.
- Some implementation details reported by a single outlet — such as a 35-character limit and exclusions for certain celebrity names — remain unconfirmed by Meta and should be treated as preliminary.