Published On 1/7/2026
The WhatsApp platform recently opened the door to reserving and registering usernames, which is the new method that the platform intends to move to during this year so that communication between users becomes easier and privacy is enhanced, according to what the co-founder and CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, said in his message to the platform’s users.
This new method of communication works in parallel with traditional phone numbers, as it gives users the ability to correspond by sharing their account names only, just as is the case in “X” or “Instagram”, which raises the levels of privacy and flexibility.
Of course, usernames will be exclusive and cannot be reused, which is why the platform made it possible early on for users to reserve the different names and IDs they wanted.
WhatsApp explained in its statement that the reason behind allowing early reservation of names before launching the feature is the presence of more than 3 billion users on the platform, which causes names to overlap and be similar among some users. It added: “We open reservations early so that everyone has the opportunity to choose the name they prefer.”
The platform also provides an additional security feature called the “sending code”, with the aim of combating spam and spam messages from people who do not know you.
Once this feature is activated, any stranger will be unable to message you using your username unless you enter a special secret code, which you must create and share in advance with trusted people only.
How can you reserve your name on WhatsApp?
The platform gradually allowed names to be reserved directly through the “WhatsApp” application installed on phones of all types, according to a report by the American technical website “Android Authority.”
The platform sends alerts within the applications to some users so that they reserve their username. You can also do this yourself by following the following steps:
- Go to the settings menu of the “WhatsApp” application on your phone.
- Click on the Account Settings options that appear within the Settings menu.
- Then choose your username, and a menu will appear in front of you that allows you to choose your username for the first time or modify it if you wish.
- Below you will find the option to receive messages from anyone who has your username or by using the send code only.
This method works identically on both Android and iPhone phones, as the user can follow the same steps on any phone.
To protect celebrity and government users and reduce fraud, WhatsApp automatically reserved the names of celebrities and gave them the ability to contact technical support to request these accounts, according to statements by Alice Newton, head of WhatsApp Products, with The Verge website.
You also cannot search for users and view their names automatically, so if you want to communicate with someone you must know his username accurately.
This feature does not cancel the feature of communicating via phone number, as it remains available on the platform and can be used to communicate with users at any time.
The new layer of protection only applies to new conversations, as the conversations with which you previously shared your phone number will remain as they are and their users will be able to access your phone.
