WhatsApp usernames for businesses: what online stores should do now

What are WhatsApp usernames?

A WhatsApp username is a name you choose, such as your brand handle, that identifies your account without a phone number. According to WhatsApp's announcement on About Meta (June 29, 2026), everyone can reserve a username now in Settings, then Account, then Username, and use it when usernames launch in their country. WhatsApp says the rollout happens over the coming months and that it will notify people in the app when usernames are available where they live.

For a customer, the main change is privacy. A person who turns on a username does not show their phone number the first time they message another person or a business.

• About Meta: It's time to reserve your WhatsApp username
• WhatsApp: Usernames FAQ

Does a business username hide my business number?

No. Businesses on both the WhatsApp Business app and the WhatsApp Business Platform can choose a username, but WhatsApp's FAQ and Meta's developer documentation state that a business username does not hide the business phone number. Your customers can still see and use your number.

This is why you should not rebuild your store around usernames yet. Click-to-chat links and QR codes that use your phone number keep working. We found no official Meta or WhatsApp page that describes a link in the form wa.me/username, so do not publish one. Third-party blogs claim it exists, but it is unverified.

What are the rules for a business username?

• Length: 3 to 35 characters.
• Characters: lowercase letters a to z, digits 0 to 9, underscores and periods. It cannot be numbers only.
• Unique: no two accounts can hold the same name.
• Restricted words: WhatsApp's user FAQ names examples such as "bank", "government", "police" and "verified". Names can be revoked for impersonation or scams.
• Matching your social handle: you can claim the same handle you use on Facebook or Instagram, if that profile is in the same Accounts Center as your business phone number or linked to it.
• Changes are limited: each business phone number can set a new username at most 2 times in any rolling 14 days, according to Meta's developer changelog of October 23, 2026.

• WhatsApp Business: Username in the WhatsApp Business app
• Meta for Developers: Business-scoped user IDs

Can customers find my store by searching for a username?

Not by browsing. WhatsApp's FAQ says there is no username directory and no suggestions, so a first contact needs the exact username. A user can also set an optional username key that others must enter before they can start a chat. In practice, you need to publish your handle where customers already look: your Instagram bio, your website and your packaging.

What changes for stores that use the WhatsApp API or an app built on it?

If you use the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, little changes. If your messages go through the WhatsApp Business Platform, directly or through an app, the technical side changes. Meta says business-scoped user IDs (BSUIDs) began appearing in webhooks in April 2026, and that sending to a BSUID has been supported since July 2026. When a customer with a username writes to you, the webhook leaves out their phone number unless you messaged or called them in the last 30 days, they messaged or called you in the last 30 days, or they are in your Meta-hosted contact book.

A REQUEST_CONTACT_INFO button, available since early July 2026, lets the customer share their phone number inside the chat. That matters for cash on delivery and courier delivery, where you need a number. Authentication templates with one-tap, zero-tap or copy-code buttons still need a phone number and cannot go to a BSUID.

What should a Shopify store do now?

WhatsApp Pilot's floating WhatsApp button is free, and the app is on the Shopify App Store at https://apps.shopify.com/whatsapp-pilot. A chat button that opens a chat with your phone number is the simplest thing to keep in place while usernames roll out.

1. Reserve your brand handle in the WhatsApp Business app, WhatsApp Manager, Meta Business Suite or through the Username API. Match it to your Instagram handle if you can.
2. Keep your phone-number links and QR codes. Business usernames do not hide your number, so nothing needs replacing.
3. Put your handle next to your number on your contact page, not instead of it.
4. Ask for a phone number when a delivery depends on it. A customer who found you through a username may not have shared one.
5. If you use an app on the Business Platform, ask the vendor whether contacts are matched on BSUID and not only on phone number.