More privacy in MessengerWhatsApp introduces usage without a phone number

April 9, 2026 around 16:16 Clock

Username instead of cell phone number

WhatsApp is introducing a new system that ensures more privacy: In the future, users can be found and contacted using a unique user name – the telephone number remains hidden. This is particularly practical for groups or new contacts where your number was previously automatically visible.

This is how naming works

With WhatsApp's new naming function, users can freely choose their user name – but with clear guidelines. It must be between 3 and 35 characters long and can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, periods or underscores. Special characters and capital letters are taboo.

If you want more security, you can also activate the username key: a four-digit code that only trusted contacts need to know to send messages.

Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is behind the new feature. In the long term, the user names will also be linked to Instagram and Facebook – this will create a uniform identity across all meta platforms.

That sounds convenient, but it raises new data protection questions. With this step, WhatsApp is following the example of Telegram and Signal, which have long relied on names instead of telephone numbers – and is thus opening up to more modern, cross-platform communication.

WhatsApp no ​​longer only works with a cell phone contract. If you want, you can simply set up the app using a landline number – the confirmation code will then be delivered via call instead of via SMS.

Virtual telephone numbers that are provided online are even more flexible, provided the provider is trustworthy and data protection compliant. And with Companion Mode, WhatsApp runs on your smartphone, tablet and PC at the same time – completely synchronously and without any number confusion.

Using it without a phone number brings more anonymity, but requires attention to data protection. Virtual numbers can be assigned multiple times, which makes access to accounts more difficult. Meta therefore recommends two-factor authentication and regular backups.

Reading tip: Suddenly tailor-made advertising and content! Are apps on our smartphones listening in on us?

WhatsApp is becoming more independent

The new combination of user names and multi-device function points towards the future: WhatsApp could break away from the SIM card and establish itself as a universal communication platform – flexible, cross-device and data-efficient.

For users, this means more freedom, but also more responsibility to keep an eye on their own security and data protection options.

Sources used: Wabetainfo