WhatsApp Users May Soon Be Able To Chat Via Usernames Instead Of Phone Numbers — Here's How

WhatsApp may be rolling out a new feature that would facilitate users to find each other and start chatting and making calls through usernames instead of phone numbers.

According to reports, this feature was spotted in a beta version of the app and may give users more privacy if implemented as users would no longer require each other's phone numbers to get acquainted on the messaging platform.

WABetaInfo spotted traces of this feature in one of the latest beta versions of the app for both Android and iOS.

The feature will operate in the same fashion as phone numbers, where users need to type in the username in the search bar to look up the person they want to call or message. Privacy settings may also obscure a user's profile photo in the same way it currently does.

WhatsApp may also introduce an additional measure to block spam calls, via a 'username key', which is an additional key that the user needs to enter in order to gain access to the ability to call the desired person, along with knowing their username.

This measure may help prevent bots and fraudulent entities from bothering users with spam calls, so simply knowing someone's username will not be enough for them to inundate them with incessant calling.

The Meta-owned messaging platform is also testing out and developing other privacy features, such as locking away chat backups, cover photos and media filters behind passkeys. The feature is not available to the public yet as it is still in the testing phase. Once ready, users can expect to see it pop up in the beta versions of the app.