WhatsApp Adds Usernames

WhatsApp says users will soon be able to use unique usernames instead of sharing phone numbers, addressing a long-running privacy gap on the Meta-owned messaging platform. The company has begun letting users reserve names ahead of a global rollout over the next few months or later this year, while still requiring a phone number to create an account. The feature will let people contact one another without exposing their phone numbers, a significant change for an app with roughly 3 billion users. WhatsApp frames the move as a privacy upgrade that brings it closer to other messaging services that already support username-based contact.