Meta's New Feature, Centre's New Worry: WhatsApp Username Feature Explained

The central government has raised fresh concerns over the rollout of WhatsApp’s controversial username policy, stating that it needs to address privacy and impersonation concerns before it becomes available within a period of three days. In response, WhatsApp stated that the usernames can in fact safeguard privacy by allowing users to interact without revealing their numbers. 

The Crux Of WhatsApp's Fresh Trouble 

On June 29, 2026, WhatsApp had announced that it would start rolling out username reservations for its users. This would allow its users to create and share their usernames instead of sharing their actual numbers. This feature which had been under development since 2023 was going to be available for the users later this year. 

The rationale behind a massively transformative rollout like this was privacy. Meta believed that with so many users on its platforms, using usernames instead of phone numbers would help people interact without having to share their numbers. According to the company, the feature is designed to offer users “a more private way to connect."

However, the usernames are optional, so one can keep using WhatsApp exactly as before without setting one up. It also should be 3–35 characters long, include at least one letter, use only lowercase letters, numbers, periods, and underscores, and can't start with "www." or end in domains like ".com" or ".net". Beta trackers have also reported that WhatsApp may link usernames to Meta's wider account system, potentially letting users claim a username already tied to their Instagram or Facebook account via Meta's Accounts Center.

This feature is also part of WhatsApp's larger push toward privacy. Over the past year, the company has rolled out and tested several features designed to give users more control over their conversations and personal information, quite like the advanced chat privacy which limited chat exports and media downloads for selected conversations. 

However the contention arises when the possibility of duplicating usernames comes in. Officials believe that usernames could make it easier for scammers to pose as celebrities, public figures, or government officials. In the past, you could at least see a scammer's phone number when they contacted you but now, you might only see their username. With cybercrimes like digital arrest scams already on the rise, this change could make it even easier for bad actors to trick people.

WhatsApp has reverted on these concerns by mentioning that its platform will reserve the names of public figures, government entities, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts under its upcoming usernames feature. "We're taking our time and listening to feedback so that when it rolls out later this year we get it right," the company added, though whether that's enough to satisfy the government's concerns remains to be seen.

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