WhatsApp recently introduced a username feature in order to increase the privacy level, especially for those who don’t want to share their phone numbers for any new chats.

Some people might worry and think scammers might take this opportunity to scam more people, as usernames can make it easier to scam and the phone number is not exposed.

WhatsApp will implement a username and a username key, and users need to enter both in the search bar correctly in order to search successfully.

And the username will not be available in public, unless it is searched with the above details.

WhatsApp also will reserve famous people’s names in order to protect against irresponsible users using them to impersonate celebrities through the username.

While for those who want to use their social media username such as Instagram, they need to link their social media account with WhatsApp first for verification.

Keep in mind, the WhatsApp username is not mandatory. Users still can choose not to use this and stick to their phone numbers.