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New Delhi: So finally, WhatsApp has confirmed that after years of experimenting and waiting, they have announced their usernames feature. Users will now be able to reserve their starting this week. The usernames themselves will only be rolled out later this year, though, in a gradual manner. WhatsApp will notify users when they are available in their country. With over three billion users, a lot of people will want the same username, so it is going to be a wild ride.
WhatsApp has also stated that it is adding usernames because a phone number is personal and tied to so many parts of their life, and sometimes users want to chat without handing over their digits. This is, of course, especially true for groups, where users might not want their phone number to be accessible to a lot of people they have never met. If the users need help picking a username, there will be a built-in generator.
When the ability to reserve a username is rolled out to users, users will find it in WhatsApp’s settings once they tap their profile photo. Users will also be able to claim their Facebook or Instagram username and have the same one in WhatsApp.
Once the usernames are unveiled in WhatsApp, there will be no directory, no way to browse or search them, and no suggestions. Users will need to know someone’s exact username to contact them for the first time. To help with the spam, WhatsApp has also built an optional username key that others will need to know in order to message the user.
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