This Major Privacy Feature Could Be Coming to WhatsApp Web Version Soon
WhatsApp is finally developing a feature that will allow users to stop sharing their phone number with strangers. Android users with the beta version have the option to create usernames that can be shared instead of numbers to connect to WhatsApp. And now it has been noticed that the messaging app has the same option available for people using the WhatsApp web client.
The option to get a username for WhatsApp is available through the profile settings under the name tab of the user interface. As you can see in the image below, the app clearly shows that people can find you and contact you without needing your phone number. Using this privacy feature could not only attract existing WhatsApp users but also bring more new users to the platform.
Many people have complained that easily contacting someone on WhatsApp with just their phone number is never a safe channel, especially when you don’t want everyone to know your contact information. So a username is like a unique identifier that people used to have with BBM for BlackBerry devices.
A username can be created by using the @ symbol in the prefix before the name you want in the messaging app. The good thing about usernames on WhatsApp is that you can change them frequently, there is no restriction on changing them, which ensures that people will continue to use it.
Android users have had a taste of usernames with beta version 2.23.11.15, which should be released to everyone in the next few weeks. WhatsApp has kept itself busy in 2023 with new feature additions, and we expect no less in 2024 as well.
