Tech · Full coverage

WhatsApp Introduces Usernames to Replace Phone Numbers for Account Sharing

How 5 Israeli newsrooms covered this story — translated into English and compared side by side.

100% center

Center 4Unrated 1

First reported by Mako · 60 minutes ago

What happened

WhatsApp is introducing usernames to allow users to share their accounts without revealing phone numbers, enhancing privacy and aligning with competitors. The feature is rolling out gradually, with full implementation expected later this year.

01WhatsApp will let users choose usernames to share accounts instead of phone numbers.
02Phone numbers remain required to create new WhatsApp accounts.
03Usernames can be 3 to 40 characters; some names are reserved for celebrities and organizations.
04Facebook and Instagram users can transfer their usernames to WhatsApp.
05The feature aims to give users more privacy and control over sharing phone numbers.
06This update reduces WhatsApp's feature gap with Telegram and Signal, which already support usernames.

Summary translated & synthesized from the sources below by baba. Read each original for the full report.

In this story

People

Alice Newton-Rex