WhatsApp will allow users to chat by usernames instead of phone numbers

Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has announced the introduction of usernames, a feature that will allow users to communicate without sharing their phone numbers.

The company has opened early reservations for usernames, which will be officially rolled out later this year.

“Starting this week, you can reserve a username to use later this year when we launch this feature,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.