The WhatsApp platform is preparing to launch a new feature that allows users to communicate without the need to share their phone numbers, by using unique usernames instead of numbers, in a move that the company says aims to enhance user privacy. The platform explained that the feature will be gradually rolled out globally in the coming months, to include three billion account holders on the platform. Starting Monday, users will be able to reserve a user name through the application, noting that using this feature will remain optional and not mandatory. Users will be able to change or delete usernames at any time. After the feature's rollout is complete, WhatsApp users will be able to start conversations by simply exchanging usernames, while options for blocking and reporting unwanted messages will continue to be available. User names will be limited to a maximum of 35 characters, with limited restrictions imposed, most notably reserving the names of some public figures, prominent officials, and celebrities, so that these names are not available to anyone else. The Meta-owned company described user names as a feature to enhance privacy. Alice Newton-Rex, head of products at WhatsApp, said, according to what was reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), that she heard from users that they do not always want to share their phone numbers to communicate with others, especially within group conversations. She added that she hopes the feature will give users more control over the way they choose to appear within the app. This step comes after the "Signal" application launched a similar service in 2024, allowing users to communicate via usernames instead of phone numbers. Although the new feature was welcomed, a BBC report quoted Carissa Velez, a professor of philosophy at Oxford University and author of the book Privacy is Power, saying that the feature is “good,” but “even if it provides a greater degree of privacy, WhatsApp is not a privacy-friendly application in general.” She added that the application collects a lot of metadata about users for marketing purposes, noting that WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which she described as among the technology companies with the worst record in the field of privacy. WhatsApp confirms that it does not use the content of private conversations for advertising purposes, as messages are subject to end-to-end encryption technology, which prevents the company from viewing their content. But it relies on other data, such as the identity of the people a user communicates with and the timing of messages, to support its advertising activities. After the feature rollout is complete, users' phone numbers will no longer appear on WhatsApp. The platform will also not provide a general directory of user names, with a phone number still required to create an account on the application.