Starting next year, WhatsApp will finally add support for usernames, rather than relying exclusively on phone numbers. In a new update shared with businesses, Meta has detailed the rollout schedule and technical transition plan.

For the past few months, WABetaInfo has been sharing tidbits on how Meta is laying the groundwork for username support on WhatsApp, including an upcoming username reservation system that will be rolled out ahead of the feature’s full launch.

Now, in a document shared with business partners, the company has provided a few official details, including its rollout plans and technical requirements for username support.

As reported by WABetaInfo, the username support rollout will include the introduction of a Business-Scoped User ID, or BSUID, which “is a unique identifier assigned to each WhatsApp user that allows businesses to message them even when their phone number is not known.”

From the report:

“The BSUID will be linked to the user_id parameter and included in all message webhooks, regardless of whether the user has enabled the username feature. In practice, this means that businesses can continue communicating securely with users while maintaining privacy and compliance with WhatsApp’s evolving data protection standards.

The business-scoped user ID is designed to act as a stable and privacy-friendly way for businesses to recognize and support customers who choose to use usernames instead of phone numbers. This new identifier will appear as a field in WhatsApp’s webhook notifications and will be supported in both current and future API versions. Developers will need to update their systems to ensure that message routing, customer records, and automated responses continue to work seamlessly.”

WABetaInfo also says that Meta is structuring this in a way so that, in the future, “businesses might interact with customers entirely through usernames rather than personal contact information.”

Meta has also shared some information regarding the rollout time frame for username support.

The company said that businesses have until June 2026 to make the necessary technical adjustments to adopt BSUIDs.

This likely means that the rollout could happen soon after that, and suggests the username reservation system may go live sometime in the first half of the year, giving users ample opportunity to claim their preferred username.

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