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PARIS: The hundreds of millions who use Meta-owned messenger WhatsApp to chat with family, friends or businesses will no longer need to share phone numbers under a coming update, the company said on Monday.
Instead, people will be able to pick unique usernames to share with others, in a move “designed to protect the privacy of your phone number,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
Restricting access to phone numbers would mean they are not shared automatically in cases such as being added to a large group chat or messaging person or business for the first time, the company added. What’s more “there’s no directory to browse and no suggestions, so people need to know your exact username to contact you,” Meta said.
As with other social media services, the sheer number of people — Meta claims over three billion — using WhatsApp means many may not get their first choice of handle.
