Nicknames and the ability to hide your phone number will appear in WhatsApp

WhatsApp developers (owned by Meta, which has been designated as an extremist organization and banned in Russia) have officially announced a username system that will allow users to hide their phone number and use nicknames, similar to Telegram. The new feature will be launched later, but the option to pre-reserve nicknames is already available, according to the company's blog.

Usernames can be reserved in the latest version of the app. To do this, users need to go to "Settings" - "Account" - "Username," where they can create their own nickname or use an automatically generated option.

Once the feature is activated, new contacts will be able to reach the account owner by username without gaining access to their phone number. This way, WhatsApp will allow users to hide their number and protect their private data.

The messenger will also offer the use of a special "key" for communication. In the first phase, it will be a four-digit numerical code that users will need to share along with their username if they want to limit who can send them messages.

The feature will be rolled out gradually across different countries over the coming months. Users will receive a notification about the availability of usernames directly within the app.