WhatsApp gets new features all the time, many of which are tested well in advance. Adding usernames was in the pipeline for years, but has now finally been officially announced.
Usernames in WhatsApp are coming
In early 2023, WhatsApp began testing an important new feature: usernames. So far, the app only works by messaging someone’s phone number, unlike other messaging apps like Facebook Messenger or Telegram. Anyone who likes to chat with others, but prefers not to share their number, can look forward to the new WhatsApp function.
WhatsApp announced the new feature in a blog post. It was mentioned that usernames on WhatsApp offer extra privacy, because you do not have to share your number. Instead, you share a unique ID with your friends and family to chat with them. The big disadvantage: the function takes even longer to arrive. WhatsApp first gives us new contacts functions, which are just as useful.
Anyone who now wants to add contacts to WhatsApp must add them to the contacts app on the headphones. Those contacts are then shown in WhatsApp. If you send a lot of messages from linked devices, such as your laptop (WhatsApp Web) or a second phone (linked account), you will soon be able to save contacts from there on your headphones.
Would you rather not have a new song appear on your headphones? WhatsApp also comes with a useful new feature. When adding a new contact, you choose whether or not to sync it with your phone. For example, you can see the contact’s name in WhatsApp, but not in the contacts app on your phone. Handy.
Availability of new WhatsApp features
As mentioned, the usernames function will have to wait a while. We can get started sooner with the new contact functions, but they are also not immediately available. The features will be rolled out to users in the coming weeks. We will wait patiently and let you know when the update appears and how everything works exactly.
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Source: www.androidplanet.nl
