Vasin Lee/Shutterstock Usernames have been part of the everyday online experience for decades, but until this year, WhatsApp ignored them. You authenticate in the world’s most popular chat app with your phone number, which also secures your account. But since Meta added email support to WhatsApp, the company is finally moving forward with a username initiative that some people may like. Meta will let you associate a username with your phone number this year, a feature that should improve privacy. Instead of sharing your number with strangers for new WhatsApp chats, you can give them your username. Before the feature rolls out, Meta is letting WhatsApp users reserve their desired username, a process that is available on both iOS and Android. Android and iPhone users can start securing their alias from a notification they may see in the app. The alternative is to open the app’s settings and go through the username reservation process, which is identical on either smartphone operating system. Usernames are optional, and WhatsApp will continue to support phone numbers just like before. However, those who want to protect their mobile contact information and secure a specific username will want to act fast, as there will be significant competition over common names
Read More









![[interview]-how-samsung-s95h-oled-tv-achieved-pantone-validated-artfulcolor-certification](https://socialnetworkrelease.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/123010-interview-how-samsung-s95h-oled-tv-achieved-pantone-validated-artfulcolor-certification-120x86.jpg)

