WhatsApp opens up reserverstation system ahead of username rollout

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About damn time, Meta.

After 15 years of stubbornly forcing users to hand over their phone numbers, WhatsApp is finally catching up to literally every other messaging app on the planet.

The Facebook-owned platform is rolling out username support, because apparently it took them this long to realize that maybe—just maybe—people don’t want to share their actual phone numbers with every rando they meet online.

WABetaInfo spotted the smoking gun: a shiny new username reservation link buried in Settings, suggesting Meta is actually serious about this whole “privacy” thing they keep yapping about.

How to reserve your WhatsApp username:

Once available, go to WhatsApp Settings > Username reservation.

From there, enter your desired handle and submit. If someone else has already reserved it, you’ll be prompted to choose another.

The reservation system is already live for some, letting users snag their preferred handles before the feature officially drops (whenever that happens—Meta’s being typically vague about timing).

The username rules are refreshingly straightforward: lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores are fair game.

You can’t start with “www.” (because apparently some people need to be protected from themselves), and you need at least one letter to prevent complete chaos.

This move puts WhatsApp in the same league as Telegram, which has been laughing at WhatsApp’s phone-number-only policy since forever.

Sure, you’ll still need a phone number to create your account initially, but at least now you won’t have to broadcast it to every group chat member or business contact.

The timing feels strategic—with privacy concerns mounting and competitors offering more flexible options, WhatsApp needed this feature yesterday.

While Meta hasn’t confirmed an official launch date, the fact they’re already setting up reservation infrastructure suggests we won’t be waiting much longer.

Finally, some actual innovation from the messaging giant that’s been coasting on network effects for over a decade.

Kevin Raposo

Kevin is KnowTechie's founder and executive editor. With over 15 years of blogging experience in the tech industry, Kevin has transformed what was once a passion project into a full-blown tech news publication. Shoot him an email at kevin@knowtechie.com.