WhatsApp has been continuously releasing new features since March as this time, it’s said that the platform is developing a username feature for its Android app.
This information comes from WABetaInfo, which combed through the contents of the most recent Android beta and found the update would appear on the Profile page of an account’s settings menu. By tapping the pencil symbol and then typing a name, it appears you can make yourself a special nickname. Simple stuff, really. Additionally, WABetaInfo was able to vouch for the fact that “conversations initiated through usernames will still be protected by end-to-end encryption.”
Beyond the few confirmations, very little is unknown about the feature. It is still in development although WABetaInfo does posit it could be used as “another layer of privacy”. Instead of having a phone number for all the world to see, you can hide it with a username. Plus, they can make it easier to identify and locate other people. No need to remember a phone number. This could be very useful in a WhatsApp Community which can be a verifiable sea of numbers since they can house over 1,000 members.
But at this time, it’s all conjecture. To find out the answers, we’ll just have to wait till Meta produces a more reliable beta version of the feature. In either case, whenever it launches formally, this is unquestionably something to anticipate. The latest beta is available for download from the Google Play Beta Program. While you won’t be able to create a unique username, you can check out the new group settings menu.
