It’s official: WhatsApp’s new usernames are here, and here’s how you can reserve yours
One of the biggest changes to the popular messaging app is coming soon: you’ll be able to replace your number with a username.
WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging app, continues to improve and update over the years, remaining the app of choice for millions of users around the world to stay in direct contact with their family, friends, and acquaintances. However, a new feature is coming soon that promises to revolutionize the way we interact with the app through so-called usernames. So much so that it is an identification system that other apps such as Telegram have been using for years and that adds an extra layer of security when contacting someone, something that was not possible on WhatsApp.
How to reserve your WhatsApp username
Although this new feature is not yet available, we will explain the steps you need to follow to reserve your username so that when the tool is implemented, you can have your own personalized name. But first, let’s take a look at what exactly WhatsApp usernames are.
This is a new, unique identification method that allows other people to find you through the messaging app without needing your personal phone number, something that not everyone wants to share. With this tool, you can claim a name that only you and no one else will have. Since WhatsApp was launched, in order for someone to write to you through the app, you had to give them your personal phone number.
This new feature aims to eliminate this requirement, which affects user privacy. In fact, the new username will be the alternative to the phone number for contacting someone via WhatsApp, as is already the case with Telegram, for example.
That is why each user will have to have their own username; and the first person who wants a specific username will get it. That is why it is important that we reserve our own personalized username before another user takes it. Furthermore, once we choose a username, it will be ours forever.
How to get your WhatsApp username
This feature is currently in development and will likely be available soon, probably first through the beta version of the app. That’s why, if we want to be the first to reserve our personalized username, we must first sign up for the WhatsApp beta and wait for the feature to be enabled.
When WhatsApp allows users to reserve usernames, all you have to do is go to settings, tap on your profile photo at the top of the screen, and enter your account settings. Here you can edit your name, personal information, phone number, or links. When the username feature is enabled, it will also appear in this section, so you’ll just need to tap on the entry to create your new username.
Of course, given that WhatsApp has millions and millions of users worldwide, you will probably have to try out different versions of the name you choose until you find one that is available.
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