Updated 30 May 2025 at 16:34 IST
WhatsApp Working on New Rules for Username: Everything You Need To Know
WhatsApp is working on a new system that involves certain criteria one must follow to set up their username. The new criteria, when in place, will help ensure more consistency and bolster security across the app. Read on to find out what these new criteria are.
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WhatsApp Working on Rules for Setting Your Username: Everything You Need To Know s rolled out new features to Status. | Image:
WhatsApp
WhatsApp is consistently working on ways to keep itself ahead of the curve. The app in last few years have made multitudes of additions in terms of both design and features. In another significant move to strengthen its user privacy, the chat app is developing features that will allow users to create unique username that are in adherence to specific criteria laid out by WhatsApp.
According to a recent report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a list of criteria one has to follow while choosing a username. This is for better phone number privacy. The feature is currently under testing and not even beta users have had a chance to test it.
What is this WhatsApp Feature?
This system involves certain criteria that WhatsApp users must follow to set up their username. This is basically to maintain more consistency and security across the app.
New criteria are- WhatsApp prevents users from setting a username that starts with www. The username should also have one letter. Usernames can only have 0-9, a-z, periods and underscores. To prevent duplication, it will deter users from choosing usernames that already exist in user’s contact or have been taken. Furthermore, the usernames cannot end with a domain name. This is basically to avoid confusion and scams, suggests WaBetaInfo.
Further, usernames cannot have period at the start or end. The character length is restricted to 30 characters which may change in future if required. This feature is a part of WhatsApp’s broader initiative to enhance user privacy and prevent scams on its platform. The exact timeline for the rollout of these criteria remains unspecified.
WhatsApp Rolls out Updates for Status
The chat company recently rolled out new features for Status- the ephemeral update sharing side of the app. As part of the update, the company has rolled out new editing tools to combine multiple photos and share them as a collage, music sticker and ability to change any photo into a sticker. Instagram’s most-loved feature “Add Yours” has also made its debut to the app.
Published 30 May 2025 at 16:20 IST