IDEAS THAT CHANGE THE WORLD
WhatsApp recently announced one of its most eagerly awaited additions: usernames. This new feature allows us to chat without necessarily having to share our phone number. Let’s take a look at this and other interesting new features.
The introduction of usernames
The phone number has always been one of the cornerstones of the world’s best-known instant messaging app. Without a phone number, you cannot use WhatsApp, and to find a user you had to know that person’s phone number. At least, that was how things worked until now. From now on, things will change.
The introduction of usernames is an addition people have been waiting for on the platform for years. It will allow us to chat with someone without necessarily giving them our phone number.
The app currently has more than three billion active users, and the feature in question will be made available to everyone by the end of the year.
WhatsApp remains a private chat service
What made WhatsApp special and different was that it was regarded as a private chat service. The platform is keen to point out that the introduction of usernames will not change this. WhatsApp is, and will remain, a private chat service.
Each user will be able to choose a unique username, so to be contacted they will have to provide their exact username, just as we have shared our phone number with others until now.
Unlike social networks, however, WhatsApp will not have a public directory for finding users. To contact someone, you will need to know their exact username, and there will be no automatic suggestions or systems for discovering new users as there are on social media.
All of this helps WhatsApp remain a private chat service.
Why is the introduction of usernames so important?
Despite the need and desire to keep WhatsApp a private chat service, we must also understand why the introduction of usernames marks a substantial and extremely important turning point for the platform.
The main reason is privacy. Nowadays, WhatsApp is used in practically every aspect of our personal and professional lives: work chats, class chats, events or even simple occasional contacts. In all these situations, we are required to give out our phone number, substantially undermining our privacy.
By using a username, we can choose to keep our phone number hidden.
For an additional level of privacy protection, WhatsApp has considered introducing the so-called username key. This is a kind of code, which can be used optionally to further limit unwanted contacts, even if we decide to share our username with new contacts.
Reserving a username
Since the number of active users on the platform is enormous, the introduction of this feature will bring us up against the problem of duplicate usernames.
Of course, WhatsApp will not allow users to use a username that is already taken. But to let users choose the name they prefer, reservations have been opened. Although the feature is not yet active, it is already possible to reserve your username so that no other user claims it before you do.
Other important new features
In its latest updates, the platform has introduced other interesting additions alongside usernames. Here are the most important:
- Interoperability: the app allows users to send and receive chats from other messaging platforms.
- Meta AI: artificial intelligence features have been further implemented within the app.
- Filters and effects: new filters and effects have been introduced for photos and videos, or to use directly during our video calls.
