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WhatsApp to let people chat without swapping phone numbers
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Zoe KleinmanTechnology and AI editor
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WhatsApp is set to let people chat without having to reveal their phone number - by exchanging unique usernames instead.
It will be rolled out globally to the platform's three billion account holders over the next few months, the platform said.
From Monday, users will start being able to reserve a name via the app, although it will not be compulsory.
The firm said people would be able to remove or change their usernames at any time.
Once it is fully activated, WhatsApp users will be able to connect after exchanging usernames only. There will still be options to block or report unwanted messages.
Names will be limited to 35 characters and there will be few restrictions, with the exception of some high profile officials and celebrities whose names will not be made available to anyone else.
So it's unlikely WhatsApp will be overrun with users calling themselves Donald Trump, for example.
The Meta-owned firm described usernames as a privacy feature.
Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp's head of product, said she had heard from users that they didn't always want to share their phone numbers in order to be in contact with others, particularly in group chats.
She said she hoped the feature would "give users control over how they choose to show up" on the app.
WhatsApp says its usernames feature will help users keep their phone number private
The secure messaging app Signal introduced an identical service in 2024.
"It is a good feature, but even if it does offer more privacy, remember WhatsApp is not a privacy-friendly app overall," said Carisa Veliz, a professor at Oxford University and author of Privacy is Power.
"It collects much metadata about users for marketing purposes.
"We have to remember that WhatsApp is owned by Meta - one of the tech companies with the worst track records when it comes to privacy."
WhatsApp does not use the content of private chats for advertising. Those are protected by end-to-end-encryption, meaning the firm cannot read the contents of messages.
But it does use data - such as who you message and when - to support advertising.
Once the feature is fully rolled out, individual phone numbers will no longer be visible on WhatsApp.
There will be no public username directory, and phone numbers will still be required in order to have a WhatsApp account in the first place.
The minimum age for using the platform is 13, and messaging apps will not be included in the UK's upcoming social media ban for under 16 year olds, due to be implemented next year.
It recently announced Kunal Shah, the founder of an Indian fintech start-up, would be taking over as head of the platform - with Will Cathcart stepping down after seven years in the role.
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