Meta’s messaging app WhatsApp is now giving its users the facility to keep their username. This means that now you will not need to give your phone number to talk to a new person. The company announced this on June 29. At present, the process of booking username in advance has been started. This feature will be available to all users by the end of this year.
What is this new feature?
Till now, to send a message to someone or receive a message from someone on WhatsApp, it was necessary to have a phone number. After the new feature, you will also be able to be identified by your username. The company says that when you message a person or a business for the first time, it will not see your phone number, provided you have activated your username. WhatsApp has called it a privacy feature. The company says that giving the phone number directly when meeting a new person sometimes seems like a big step, because the phone number is personal and is related to many things in our life. In such a situation, username provides an easy way.
Why reserve your username now?
WhatsApp has more than three billion users worldwide. Due to such a large userbase, there is a possibility of similar names colliding with each other, which means the name you want may belong to someone else. For this reason, the company has opened the reservation in advance, so that everyone can book the name of their choice in time. Username can be from three to 35 characters. The company has also reserved the names of celebrities separately, so that no one can misuse their names.
How to reserve a username?
For this, first of all update WhatsApp in your phone to the latest version. After this go to Settings, then tap on Account and then Username. Here you can choose your desired name. The app itself will tell whether that name is available or has been taken by someone else. The company says that this facility will gradually come to different countries. When this feature is available in your country, WhatsApp will inform you about it within the app itself.
Special arrangements for privacy
WhatsApp has clarified that there will be no directory or search list to find the username, as is the case on Instagram. That means, to talk to someone for the first time, it is necessary to know their complete and correct username. Apart from this, the company is also giving an optional username, which is being called Ki. If you want, you can decide that only those people who have your key can message you. You can change your username or turn off this feature at any time.
Convenience for businesses and creators
The company has kept a special option for those who want to maintain a defined identity online, such as creators, small businessmen or organizations. Such people can also claim their Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp, so that their identity remains the same everywhere. Let us tell you that messaging apps like Telegram, Signal and Wire are already providing the facility of username. WhatsApp has now taken this step.
Also read: This warning of WhatsApp can save your money and data, new safety feature is coming
