I love WhatsApp, but it desperately needs this feature

I add an item to my shopping cart online, go through the checkout process, but then have a last-minute change of heart. I decide not to buy for whatever reason, expecting the story to end there, but it doesn’t.

Less than a day later, the company is already messaging me on WhatsApp, asking if they can assist me with anything so I can complete my purchase. Wait a minute, I don’t remember signing up for this!

While this is a minor problem since it doesn’t happen often, a bigger issue is all the crypto groups I get added to on WhatsApp that promise to make me a millionaire with their sky-high returns.

While I generally like WhatsApp, it’s full of spam, and I’m getting tired of it. And I’m not the only one, with people on Reddit constantly venting about unsolicited messages they are receiving.

The issue can easily be solved, though, if WhatsApp would implement this one simple feature that’s available on its rival, Signal.

The problem that’s causing spam is that anyone can look me up on WhatsApp as long as they have my number. In the example I gave about my online shopping experience, I entered my phone number during checkout before I decided to ditch the purchase. Companies can use WhatsApp APIs in cases like these, sending out messages automatically to those who had a last-minute change of heart.

It’s even easier for all those crypto scammers. All they need is my number, which isn’t always that hard to get, thanks to so many data leaks from all sorts of online services, and they can add me to all kinds of groups or message me directly.

Signal handles this differently. While you need to provide a phone number to make an account, you can later switch to a username of choice in the settings, hiding your number completely. That means that even if a spammer has my phone number, they can’t add or message me on Signal. They need my username to do so, which is much harder to get and can easily be changed.

This is the feature WhatsApp needs, as it would eliminate spam and just make the whole thing more privacy-conscious. Connecting with someone via WhatsApp means I have to give them my number, and even if I decide to later block that person, they can still send me an SMS, call me, or add me on any of the other messaging apps that are tied to my phone number.

A privacy feature like this eliminates all of this, creating a more private experience that’s only tied to one app. And the good news is that it’s supposedly coming, although I’ll believe it when I see it. There have been rumors about this dating back to 2023, but the latest buzz is that WhatsApp is already testing it out in beta with a limited number of users.

Fair point, but it’s not as easy as it sounds. I actually do use Signal alongside WhatsApp, and I far prefer it. It’s less bloated and far more secure. However, the best messaging app is the one most of your friends use, and none of mine use Signal.

Well, I did manage to bring a few of my close friends over to Signal, but the rest are still on WhatsApp, while a few others are scattered across other apps like Viber and Messenger. If the latest rumors are true and usernames will become available sometime this year, I won’t need to think about switching at all.

What do you think about this? Would you like to see this privacy feature on WhatsApp, or do you not care? Cast your vote in the poll above and share your opinion in the comments.