Sharing a WhatsApp username with a seller or someone you’ve just met could soon come with more control over who sees your mobile number. WABetaInfo spotted a phone number visibility setting in WhatsApp’s Android beta build 2.26.45.1. The control remains in development, with no release date announced for Malaysia.
Four proposed visibility options
The setting is designed for accounts with a username. The development interface shows four choices: everyone, your contacts, your contacts with selected exceptions, or nobody. WABetaInfo says the default for accounts using a username is set to nobody.
Choosing a contacts-only setting could let you share a username with a new acquaintance while keeping your number visible to people you already have in your address book. The development interface also warns that switching options can reset your exceptions list. People who already know your number can still use it to reach you.
When can you use it?
The interface was found in a beta build, but WABetaInfo says the control is currently unavailable even to beta testers. WhatsApp has described usernames as an optional way to connect. The visibility options may change before release.
Sources: MDROID, WABetaInfo and WhatsApp’s username FAQ. Illustration: MDROID.
