WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out New Username Feature

[MacRumors]

WhatsApp has started rolling out its new username feature, reports WABetaInfo. Some users who reserved their username have started receiving a notification that their username is active, and that they can now use it to send and receive messages to other users without revealing their phone number.

When someone creates a username, WhatsApp will notify people who already have an active chat with that person. WhatsApp has no directory of usernames to browse, and no username discovery suggestions, so people will need to know a WhatsApp user's exact username to send a message.

Article Link: WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out New Username Feature

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

Finally making something more useful.
The whole phone number only thing was not a good idea. Threads is the perfect version of Facebook had it not been connected to Instagram 😤 all of them needs to be solo products.

 

[hieranonymous]

It keeps telling me my Instagram username is “not available” for some reason.

 

[paulvee]

Their obtuse, bolted-on security and sign-in procedures make me think that they are devoting few resources to their bread-and-butter apps, certainly the back end stuff. It's all going into MetaAI now. Trying to just ditch FB and IG altogether.

 

[paulvee]

It keeps telling me my Instagram username is “not available” for some reason.

I got that, too. Then, I followed the rather arcane instructions for fixing it in the accounts center, but got tired of jumping through hoops.

 

[hieranonymous]

I got that, too. Then, I followed the rather arcane instructions for fixing it in the accounts center, but got tired of jumping through hoops.

How does one go about fixing it?

 

[paulvee]

How does one go about fixing it?

I wish I could tell you. I got tired of the endless re-directs and sign-ins, the redundant 2FA prompts, and then the lack of clear instructions. I usually can fix anything, but I got tired of devoting so much time to this, so I gave up. Meta definitely doesn't care about user experience anymore.

 

[svish]

Good to see this. Would have been great if WhatsApp does not require a phone number to sign up and has an option to use only username.

 

[apparatchik]

I wish I could tell you. I got tired of the endless re-directs and sign-ins, the redundant 2FA prompts, and then the lack of clear instructions. I usually can fix anything, but I got tired of devoting so much time to this, so I gave up. Meta definitely doesn't care about user experience anymore.

I don't think it ever really did. I very rarely use FB these days but when I do is always a pain, you have to google instructions to change a simple privacy setting.

 

[PixelPanics]

It keeps telling me my Instagram username is “not available” for some reason.

Same, even "myfullname.UK" is taken, and i know for sure that there's no one in the UK names exactly like me...

 

[socialwill]

I think since they are "rolling this out" there as not been any guarantee that your Facebook or Instagram username are saved for the user. I read somewhere that if it is not available, someone else was able to get it.

That is just dumb IMO. If you have your FB or IG username, you should be able to choose one of those and be done. You should have first rights.

 

[FatLouie]

No variation of my name worked, so I used my reddit handle...that worked. The only reason I am on WA is due to work I do for a company. Once that is finished, I will delete all my WA information.

 

[webkit]

Threads is the perfect version of Facebook had it not been connected to Instagram 😤 all of them needs to be solo products.

Meta connected Threads to Instagram in order to leverage Instagram's huge, active network. It provided instant scale by bringing existing Instagram users and audiences to Threads. Growth would've likely been much, much slower if they had launched Threads as a standalone product.

 

[AstonSmith]

I think since they are "rolling this out" there as not been any guarantee that your Facebook or Instagram username are saved for the user. I read somewhere that if it is not available, someone else was able to get it.

That is just dumb IMO. If you have your FB or IG username, you should be able to choose one of those and be done. You should have first rights.

I thought we did have first dibs? Either way the FB and IG names were saved for me, and I was able to claim one of them with the popup that invited name reservations.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Their obtuse, bolted-on security and sign-in procedures make me think that they are devoting few resources to their bread-and-butter apps, certainly the back end stuff. It's all going into MetaAI now. Trying to just ditch FB and IG altogether.

Been like this for years. Zuck is like a slumlord of social only invests if abs necessary or can increase return. Optimization and security are cost not profit centers.

 

[mitty]

I grabbed first initial/surname as soon as I heard about this a couple of weeks ago. My name isn't that common but I'm still waiting to receive messages for someone else at some future point.