In short: WhatsApp is introducing usernames (@username) that let people start a chat with you without seeing your phone number. The second rollout wave opened on 20 July 2026. Your number stays hidden on first contact, but there are important caveats: the account is still tied to a real number, and metadata collection does not go away.
What happened
In late June 2026 WhatsApp opened username reservations, and from July it began switching the feature on in waves. The first group of countries got access on 7 July, the second wave followed on 20 July 2026, and the rest of the world will be enabled later. It was covered both by international outlets such as BleepingComputer and by Russia's SecurityLab.
People had been asking for this for years: until now, messaging someone on WhatsApp usually meant knowing their phone number — and therefore sharing your own. A phone number is a sensitive identifier: it is how people find you across messengers, it turns up in leaked databases, and it fuels attacks like SIM-swapping. Usernames are meant to cut that dependence on the number. If you care about the privacy of your chats, it is worth refreshing the basics in our guide on protecting your messenger conversations.
How usernames work
A username is a unique @handle of 3 to 35 characters. You set it in the app under Settings → Account → Username. There is no public directory: no one can find you through a suggestion or a list — they must know your exact handle. You can change or delete a username at any time, but a freed-up handle can then be claimed by someone else.
You can also turn on an optional "username key": with it enabled, anyone who wants to message you by your handle for the first time must know that key. This helps cut down unwanted messages if your handle becomes known. WhatsApp is also pre-reserving some names for governments, public figures and companies so outsiders cannot grab them.
What it protects — and what it doesn't
The upside is clear: on first contact through a handle, your phone number stays hidden from anyone who isn't already in your contacts. That reduces cold contacts and stops your number leaking to random people. For comparison, Signal added usernames back in 2024, so WhatsApp is effectively catching up with its rival.
But the caveats matter. First, the account is still tied to a real, verified phone number — the username only masks it on new contact, it doesn't detach it. Second, the feature does not work on WhatsApp Web or Desktop. Third, a private handle doesn't stop data collection: experts note WhatsApp keeps gathering behavioural metadata for advertising across Meta's ecosystem. Finally, there is a flip side: India's government has ordered the rollout paused, fearing that anonymity could make fraud and impersonation easier — as Forbes reported.
How to enable it and strengthen your privacy
Update the app and reserve a name. Install the latest version of WhatsApp and open Settings → Account → Username. Pick a handle that doesn't reveal too much about you, and turn on the username key if you like.
Review your privacy settings. Limit who can see your number, photo and "last seen," and switch on two-factor authentication. It also helps to generally reduce tracking on your phone.
Close the network layer. Hiding your number protects your identity inside the messenger, but it does not protect the traffic itself on someone else's network. On open Wi-Fi, an outsider can see which services you connect to and try to insert themselves into the connection. A VPN routes your traffic through an encrypted tunnel and hides your real IP address, complementing the privacy of your username at the network level. LiMP VPN is a no-logs service for iOS and Android — see the features and plans, and more privacy news on our blog.
Sources
This report is based on coverage by BleepingComputer, Russia's SecurityLab (1 July 2026) and Forbes.