Overview
- WhatsApp began letting users reserve usernames on Monday, June 29, and said more than 3 billion accounts are eligible to claim a name now.
- Reserving a username does not yet let people start chats without phone numbers and the company will notify users when the contact-by-username feature becomes available later in 2026.
- Usernames must be 3 to 35 characters long, accounts tied to public figures and organizations get priority, and creators or businesses can request the same handle they use on Facebook or Instagram.
- WhatsApp will not offer a public searchable directory or profile pages and it will require people to know the exact username or an optional username key to message someone for the first time.
- As part of broader safety work, WhatsApp has begun rolling out a roughly 10‑second warning or delay when interacting with unknown numbers to help spot scams but the company says this is an extra layer and not a complete solution.