// THE VERGE — MOBILE & WEB
WhatsApp is launching usernames: here’s how to reserve yours
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You can’t browse WhatsApp usernames, so people will need to know your exact username to contact you.
You can’t browse WhatsApp usernames, so people will need to know your exact username to contact you.
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WhatsApp is introducing a new way to add and chat with contacts, without having to share your phone number. Usernames will be launching “later this year,” in a move to make the communications platform “even more private,” allowing you to keep your phone number concealed from people who aren’t already in your contacts.
Usernames are available to reserve starting this week, giving you time to claim a specific handle you may already be using elsewhere before the WhatsApp username feature officially launches. The username launch will be rolling out gradually over the coming months, and users will be notified when the feature is available in their country.
“With over three billion people on WhatsApp a lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them,” WhatsApp said in its announcement.