- WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that allows iPhone users to set a username instead of using their phone number.
- The feature replaces the username with a phone number, and WhatsApp names the new privacy settings.
- TechCrunch reports that it may be possible to change the username, but the username key for exchanging contact information.
WhatsApp is rolling out a username feature for iPhone users, as The Independent reported, that could potentially help protect users’ phone numbers from being exposed in online searches. The Independent notes that the Ministry of Electronic and Information Technologies of Ukraine has announced the launch of the new feature.
The feature provides iPhone users with the ability to set a username instead of a phone number. The Independent says that WhatsApp’s new privacy settings will make it possible to hide phone numbers from other users who do not have them in their contacts.
According to The Independent, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation said that the new feature could significantly reduce the risk of online scams, including so-called “digital arrest scams,” and that WhatsApp will respond: for contacting a phone number, and the company has a system for displaying spam prevention.
The Independent also provides details on how WhatsApp protects against such scams: the company, according to the publication, uses a “lookalike” feature (published information, which includes Meta account structure, and the “digital arrest scams” feature) that makes it possible for attackers to identify a user’s phone number, and also uses the “lookalike” feature to prevent the spread of usernames. The publication also notes that WhatsApp blocks attackers from viewing usernames, and that it has a system for detecting suspicious activity.
TechCrunch also writes that Meta’s new WhatsApp feature for its own 3 million users will be rolled out in stages in blue.
TechCrunch further reports that the username feature may allow users to change their Username by clicking “Edit,” and that the username key: the publication notes that it may help contact users, and the “People who know my key” phrase, which is used to determine whether the user is a scammer; the feature may also allow users to remove the key or generate a new one.