WhatsApp has finally broken its 16-year link between your identity and your phone number. As of late June 2026, you can reserve a username, a handle like @yourbrand, and hand that out instead of your number. For a market where WhatsApp is not just a chat app but the front door to commerce, support, and lead generation, this is not a minor settings update. It is a shift in how people and brands get found. The short version: WhatsApp opened username reservations around June 29,
