WhatsApp will introduce unique usernames, you can reserve a nice name now
Since the launch of WhatsApp, user identification has been done exclusively through a phone number. But soon the messenger will allow communication using a unique username — as has long been implemented in Telegram and Signal.
What’s new:
In the beta version of WhatsApp for Android, the ability to reserve a username before the official launch of the feature has already appeared. This allows users to choose a unique name in advance to avoid the situation where popular options are taken by someone else. The username must contain at least one letter (lowercase), may include digits, dots, and underscores, and cannot start with “www”. It is likely that the messenger is trying to move away from a purely “phone” component and expand its influence on other communication channels that are not directly related to communication between two private users. Perhaps in the future, the service will move away from the mandatory use of a mobile number, as has already been implemented in many messengers.
There is currently no official launch date for the feature, but WhatsApp is already actively preparing the system for implementation — it is expected that this will happen within the coming weeks. This aligns well with the recent official statement indicating that the service is preparing a large number of changes that we will be able to see very soon.
Source: wabetainfo.com
