Synopsis
WhatsApp is planning a major platform overhaul, introducing usernames and unique IDs instead of phone numbers, allowing users to send messages and make voice or video calls without sharing numbers. The optional privacy feature is expected to roll out globally by June 2026, with users and businesses able to reserve unique handles.Listen to this article in summarized format
WhatsApp confirmed it.
“We’re excited to bring usernames to WhatsApp in the future to help people connect with new friends, groups and businesses without having to share their phone numbers,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to ET.
“This feature will add an extra layer of privacy for people and make it easier to reach businesses on WhatsApp. We’ll have more to share when it’s ready.”
OPTIONAL FEATURE
WhatsApp will offer it as an “optional privacy feature,” where users will have a choice to continue with phone numbers as well. This option was necessary to avoid disruptions and ensure that users do not migrate to competing platforms such as Telegram or Signal, people cited above said.
The move to usernames will enhance user privacy, strengthen spam control, and improve discoverability on the platform, experts said.
BUSINESS MODEL SHIFT
WhatsApp will also introduce ‘dynamic pricing’ for businesses who will need to bid maximum price in real-time to send marketing messages on the platform. Beta testing for new pricing will run through the second half of 2026 and is expected to go live in the second quarter of 2027.“It is going to be a major revenue unlock for WhatsApp, which has been stuck on per-message pricing for almost a decade now,” a communications sector executive involved in the testing said.
This Facebook ad model marks one of the biggest shifts since WhatsApp began monetising enterprise messaging nearly a decade ago.
The platform’s efforts to monetise features like Channels, Communities and Status Ads have failed to gain traction.
In its initial years, WhatsApp revenues grew between 100%-500% annually. That growth has saturated as messaging volumes seem to have peaked, experts told ET.
With over 500 million users, India is among the top revenue markets for WhatsApp alongside Brazil.
The latest moves are among many changes that WhatsApp will bring to reinvent its business model this year.
Industry executives said WhatsApp is creating a “walled garden” by preventing businesses from extracting phone numbers and diverting leads to competing channels such as SMS, voice or Google RCS.
LIKELY HURDLES
For consumers, the changes could bring greater privacy and reduced spam. However, the platform’s increasing control over conversations could raise questions around data ownership and ecosystem lock-in, the executives pointed out.“Over-the-top (OTT) communications platforms are facing mounting regulatory pressures across Europe, India and the Middle East, as they offer competing services to telecom channels, which are deeply regulated,” one of them said. “That sword will continue to hang on them, whether or not telecom numbers are used.”
For instance, the telecom department’s mandate on SIM-binding will continue to be applicable.
WhatsApp’s platform overhaul is mainly targeted to unlock ad-based revenues and prepare for AI-driven interactions, where businesses and AI agents communicate with users through chat interfaces.
“This is about locking in the ecosystem,” the executive quoted above said. “WhatsApp is already the leader in business messaging, and it wants to ensure those conversations stay on the platform.”
