Baghdad: WhatsApp has officially launched a system for reserving usernames, a move aimed at its approximately 3 billion users worldwide. This new feature allows users to secure a unique username prior to its full rollout.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the initiative by Meta is designed to enhance user privacy by enabling communication without the need to share phone numbers. Once the feature is fully activated, users’ phone numbers will remain hidden from new contacts, including those within group chats. Furthermore, WhatsApp has decided not to provide a public directory of usernames to help reduce spam and phishing attempts.