WHATSAPP USERS WILL soon no longer need to give out their phone numbers to chat on the messaging app, with the app gearing up to roll out usernames.

You will instead be able to give someone your username for them to contact you.

The feature will be rolled out “gradually over the next few months”, WhatsApp said, without confirming a date.

Although there’s no exact timeframe for when it kicks in, users can reserve their desired username now ahead of time. To do so, make sure you have the latest version of the app, click into settings, select the account section, and click ‘username’.

When you enter a username not already taken you will be allowed to reserve it.

“Your phone number is personal and sometimes you want to connect without handing it over. That’s why we’re introducing usernames,” WhatsApp said in a post online.

The default setting allows anyone who has your username to message you, but this can be changed to people who know your ‘key’, which is a four-digit number that can be saved in the same section in the app.

Owned by Meta, the app has over three billion users in over 180 countries.