WhatsApp Launches Nickname Reservation — GSM Arena
The popular messaging app WhatsApp has announced the rollout of a username (nickname) system, which will allow users to communicate without having to disclose their personal phone number.
The nickname reservation feature will launch as early as this week.
Although nickname reservations will begin in the coming days, full access to using nicknames will not be available to users until later this year.
The company promises to send individual notifications as soon as the new option becomes available in a specific region or country.
WhatsApp representatives explain the relevance of this update by noting that “a phone number is personal and linked to many aspects of users’ lives.”
The developers aim to give people the ability to communicate without revealing their contact information, which is especially important when participating in group chats with people they don’t know well.
Security and privacy were key considerations in the development of this feature. After the official launch, third-party users will not be able to automatically search for or view nicknames in the messenger.
The developers have also disabled any recommendations or suggestions that include names: to start a conversation, a user will need to know their conversation partner’s exact username.
This was reported by GSM Arena.
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