WhatsApp usernames and BSUID: everything you need to know
by Sanuker | July 2026
Table of content
You’ve probably heard by now that you can have a username on WhatsApp. But in case you didn’t know, the WhatsApp ecosystem is bigger than it looks, and that’s where the surprise is. Before you jump into this change, it’s worth knowing which of the three WhatsApps you’re on, because the rules aren’t the same for everyone.
Three quick things to get you oriented:
- Meta owns WhatsApp (it bought it in 2014) and three distinct products live under that same green icon.
- Those three are: WhatsApp Personal, WhatsApp Business (the app), and the WhatsApp Business Platform, which almost everyone calls the Cloud API. Each with different rules and costs.
- In total, more than 3 billion people use WhatsApp worldwide.
Let’s go one by one.
Usernames don’t kill the phone number. They just take away its monopoly on being your identity.
1. WhatsApp (Personal)
Who uses it, and how?
If you don’t know which one you use, it’s probably this one. It’s the app you’ve always known, used by more than 3 billion people. On personal accounts, your phone number has always been your identity: to talk to you, someone had to have it. That’s exactly what’s starting to change.
How do people start a conversation with you?
Until now there were three ways: someone saves your number (or you end up in the same group), scans your QR code, or opens a wa.me link. Now there’s a fourth: usernames.
How do you reserve your username on WhatsApp?
Reserve yours today: open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account > Username. The feature is rolling out gradually throughout 2026, country by country.
There’s no directory and no search suggestions: to message you for the first time, someone has to know your exact username. And if you want an extra lock, you can turn on a username key: a second code without which they can’t start the conversation.
The WhatsApp username and its rules
A username is 3 to 35 characters long and only accepts letters (a-z), numbers, periods, and underscores, with no accents or special characters. It must include at least one letter, can’t start or end with a period, can’t start with “www”, and can’t end like a domain (“.com” and the like).
In places where usernames aren’t live yet, you can reserve yours now and use it once the feature reaches your country. Reserving one doesn’t touch your number: you keep it, and you can change your username later.
2. WhatsApp Business (the app)
Who uses it, and how?
The WhatsApp Business app is free and designed for small teams (around 50 million businesses use it) who manage WhatsApp by hand from a phone. On top of the regular app, it adds a business profile, product catalog, quick replies, labels, and away messages.
How do people start a conversation with you?
Customers find you the same way they’d find a friend: your number, a QR code, a wa.me link, or a click-to-WhatsApp ad. And now you can also claim a business username for your business directly from the app.
How do you claim your business username on WhatsApp Business?
From your phone:
- Open WhatsApp Business.
- Go to Tools (or Settings).
- Open Business profile.
- Tap Create username (or the edit icon next to “Username”).
- Type the handle you want and save.
Tip: if you already use that same name on your Facebook Page or your Instagram Business account, you can claim the same one on WhatsApp. Just link your Meta accounts first from the tools menu.
The WhatsApp business username and its rules
Your business name is free text that you define. As of June 29, 2026, you can also claim a business username, with the same format rules as personal ones: 3 to 35 characters, only letters (a-z), numbers, periods, and underscores, at least one letter, and it can’t start with “www” or end like a domain. Watch out for a common misconception: the business username is not a privacy feature. Claiming one doesn’t hide your business’s number, which remains visible in the app.
3. WhatsApp Cloud API (the Business Platform)
Who uses it, and how?
The WhatsApp Business Platform (the Cloud API) is the programmable version, used by everyone from mid-sized companies to large corporations. It doesn’t have the single-device limit: multiple agents and bots can serve the same number, and it integrates with your CRM, your help desk, and your automation. It’s the layer that official solution providers like Sanuker build on, connecting your business to WhatsApp without you having to build the infrastructure yourself.
How do people start a conversation with you?
In two directions. The customer writes first, from a click-to-WhatsApp ad, a wa.me link, or a QR code, which opens a 24-hour service window. Or you start, with an approved template (marketing, utility, or authentication).
What’s new: you can now address the user by their phone number or by their BSUID, and there’s a new button to ask for their number when you need it. They decide whether to share it. (Authentication templates still go only to the number.)
How do you request your business username on the WhatsApp Cloud API?
From WhatsApp Manager: go into your account, head to Account > Phone numbers, choose the number, and request its username (business.facebook.com/latest/whatsapp_manager/phone_numbers). If you work via integration, you can also claim it with the Username API. And if Meta has already reserved your brand’s name for you, you’ll be able to claim it right there.
The WhatsApp business username and its rules
This is where names get serious. Every number needs a display name that Meta verifies when you move up a messaging limit, and approves or rejects; you can change it up to ten times every 30 days. On top of that, you can claim a business username through WhatsApp Manager or the API, with the same format rules as always (3-35 characters; letters, numbers, period, and underscore; at least one letter; no “www” or domains). And underneath it all, a new identity layer appears: the Business-Scoped User ID (BSUID).
What is the BSUID?
It’s a unique identifier per business: the same person has a different BSUID with you than with any other company. When someone adopts a username and stops sharing their number, the BSUID is what arrives in your system instead. So that you don’t lose your existing customers in the transition, Meta’s Contact Book, which is on by default, stores the number-BSUID relationship based on your previous conversations.
Usernames are editable, but the BSUID stays the same even if your customers change their usernames.
Myth vs. reality
- Myth: “Phone numbers are going to disappear.” Reality: they keep working. You can keep messaging any number you already have.
- Myth: “Only people who adopt a username have a BSUID.” Reality: all users appear with a BSUID in webhooks as of early April 2026.
- Myth: “You have to receive a message to get someone’s BSUID.” Reality: sent messages return it too. It’s in every message webhook, inbound or outbound, and calls also record the pairing.
- Myth: “You can no longer ask for the phone number.” Reality: yes, you can; there’s a dedicated button to request it. The difference is that now the user decides whether to share it.
Frequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp free?
The personal app and the WhatsApp Business app are free. The Business Platform (Cloud API) is charged by Meta based on the messages you send.
What’s the difference between the WhatsApp Business app and the API?
The app is manual and free, built for a small team on one device. The API is programmable and paid, with no device limit, designed for automation, multiple agents, and integrations.
Do usernames replace the phone number?
No. Numbers keep working everywhere. Usernames are an optional way for personal users to start conversations without revealing their number.
If I use a username, can a business see my number?
Not automatically. If you message a business for the first time using a username, it receives a BSUID instead of the number, unless it already had it from a previous conversation.
What is a BSUID?
A Business-Scoped User ID: a unique identifier that represents you to one specific business. It’s what that business uses to message you when it can’t see your number.
Does my number-based CRM still work?
Yes. Keep the numbers and add a BSUID field. Meta’s Contact Book maintains continuity with the customers you’ve already talked to.
From your first chat to scale
Most businesses run into all three products in order: they start on the app, outgrow it, and move to the Platform. If that’s you, and you’d rather not build the templates, the BSUIDs, and the Contact Book yourself, Sanuker designs and operates official WhatsApp solutions on the Business Platform for enterprises across APAC.