How to reserve and change your WhatsApp username
- ID
- 2789
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 06 Jul 2026, 10:15 PM
- Fetched
- 06 Jul 2026, 11:05 PM
- Provider
- TechCrunch
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/06/how-to-reserve-and-change-your-whatsapp-username/
- Source URL
- https://techcrunch.com/feed/
Summary
- Score
- 7.5
- Created
- 06 Jul 2026, 11:06 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developersvibe_codersSaaS/startup founders
What happened
WhatsApp is introducing the ability for users to reserve and change their usernames ahead of the feature's full rollout. This will eventually allow people to connect on the platform without needing to share their phone numbers.
Why it matters
Since WhatsApp is a dominant communication tool in Malaysia, usernames unlock new privacy-first opportunities for customer support, e-commerce, and SaaS integrations. Builders and startups can prepare for new WhatsApp Business API workflows that don't rely on exposing personal phone numbers.
Discussion angle
How to design customer acquisition and support flows that leverage WhatsApp usernames instead of phone numbers for better privacy and scale.