WhatsApp’s latest beta lets you set up a username, so you don’t have to share your phone number

• WhatsApp is now letting some users set up usernames
• So far, this feature is only available to a limited number of beta users
• With it, you can share your username rather than your phone number

We’ve been hearing that WhatsApp will be getting usernames for a while now, and they’ve finally arrived — though so far, they’re only in the latest beta versions of WhatsApp, and only for a “limited” number of users in a phased rollout, according to WABetaInfo.

In other words, you need to be running a beta version of WhatsApp to benefit from the new feature right now, and even then, you might not get access just yet. But the very fact that usernames are in beta suggests they’ll hopefully roll out more widely soon.

When you do get access to the new feature, you can head to Settings > Profile within the WhatsApp app, and from there, you’ll be able to create a username. The feature is live in both iOS and Android WhatsApp betas, and rather than creating a new username, you can choose to use your Facebook or Instagram username instead, if you prefer.

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If you do create one, then there are various restrictions, including that it must be a username that isn’t currently being used by someone else on any of Meta’s platforms, that it must be at least three characters long, and that it must start with a letter — though it can also include numbers, periods, and underscores.