WhatsApp will introduce usernames later this year, letting its 3 billion users connect without sharing phone numbers.WhatsApp has over three billion users, and it’s finally letting them talk to each other without exchanging phone numbers. The company announced this week that usernames are coming later this year, and reservations are open now.The problem they’re solving is real. Your phone number is tied to your bank, your doctor, your family. Handing it to a stranger at a networking event, or to twenty parents you’ve never met in a school group chat, has always felt like more than it should be. A username fixes that without requiring you to create a separate account anywhere.When the feature is available, users can set a username and share that instead of their number. When you message someone for the first time, they won’t see your phone number at all, as long as you’ve enabled your username. That’s a meaningful change for anyone who currently has to choose between joining a group and keeping their number private.There’s no public directory and no suggestion algorithm. Someone has to know your exact username to reach you, which keeps the search-and-spam problem that plagues other platforms from becoming WhatsApp’s problem too. For an extra layer of control, there’s an optional “username key,” a secondary credential someone needs before they can message you at all.Three billion users means an enormous amount of name overlap. WhatsApp is opening reservations now, before the feature goes live, so people have a real shot at the handle they actually want rather than finding it already taken on launch day. You reserve yours through Settings > Account > Username on the latest version of the app. It takes about ten seconds.Creators, businesses, and organizations can claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp to keep things consistent across platforms. WhatsApp built a username generator for everyone else who can’t think of anything and doesn’t want to spend forty-five minutes staring at their phone. (We’ve all been there.)“For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know. If you need help picking one, we have a username generator to make one work just for you.” reads the announcement. “We also know that some people like creators, small businesses, and organizations may want to maintain a consistent presence online. For them, we reserved an option to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp.”WhatsApp calls this feature “our latest step to make WhatsApp even more private”. That framing matters because the app built its reputation on end-to-end encryption, and this extends the privacy promise to the layer before the conversation even starts: who knows how to reach you.“Usernames are our latest step to make WhatsApp even more private. There’s no directory to browse and no suggestions – people will need to know your exact username to contact you for the first time.” continues the announcement. “To help control who can reach you on WhatsApp with your username, we’ve built an optional username key that others will need to know to message you.”The original post also frames the core need plainly: “a phone number is personal and it’s tied to so many parts of your life”. That’s the exact tension usernames are designed to dissolve, whether you’re joining a neighborhood group, talking to a new client, or just not ready to hand your digits to someone you met once.WhatsApp pointed out usernames are private by design: there’s no public directory or search suggestions. People can contact you only if they already know your username.The rollout will happen gradually over the coming months, with in-app notifications when usernames become available in your region. If you want a specific handle, reserve it now. By the time this goes live, the obvious ones will already be gone.Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook and MastodonPierluigi Paganini(SecurityAffairs – hacking, privacy)