WhatsApp develops phone number privacy controls letting users choose who sees their number

WhatsApp is developing phone number privacy controls that let users choose exactly who can see their number, with the feature detailed Nov. 7, 2026.

The controls offer four visibility options – Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except, and Nobody – with Nobody as the default. Only users who have created a username can use the new visibility controls. The control lives in the privacy settings screen beside last seen and profile photo options. Moving to another option prompts a warning that WhatsApp will reset the exceptions list.

A confirmation is required before phone number visibility switches.

Anyone who already has your number can still view it during calls and chats. Meta has not officially announced these controls. WABetaInfo spotted the controls in a WhatsApp beta for Android carrying version 2.26.45.1 on the Google Play Store, while separate reporting dated the same day describes the feature as still in development and unavailable to beta users.

The controls build on WhatsApp usernames, which allow users to message without sharing personal phone numbers. The gradual username rollout began in April 2026, and WhatsApp opened username reservations on June 29, 2026. WhatsApp counts more than three billion users worldwide. A username must be available across all Meta services, and choosing a different WhatsApp username can help prevent visible links between accounts.

Username length falls between 3 and 35 characters and must include at least one letter. Lowercase letters, numbers, periods and underscores are the only characters allowed. The app publishes no public username list and suggests no accounts to follow. A person must know your exact username before starting contact.

An optional username key demands both a username and private key for first-time contact. Meta said usernames belong to a wider effort to give users greater control over their connections while keeping end-to-end encryption. Businesses, creators and organizations can reserve usernames that match their Facebook and Instagram identities. Meta said, “For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know.”

Signal has provided similar username-style protections for years, and Telegram launched usernames in 2013. Black Enterprise said the username rollout happens in phases, with regional availability varying. No specific launch date exists for all users.

Usernames do not prevent Meta from knowing who you are. Talk Android said new accounts still require a phone number for registration. Login, recovery and registration stay tied to the phone number behind the scenes.

Community phone number privacy debuted in July 2023 and accommodates as many as 5,000 members, but administrators can always view members’ phone numbers. Anyone who saved you as a contact sees your number in communities, and anyone with prior chat history sees your number in communities. Standard groups display numbers to every member unless the user deletes contacts. The community setting excludes the announcements group, is not retroactive, and provides no partial protections.

Users unhappy with administrator access can leave the community, block specific people in direct chat settings, or avoid joining communities. Blocking a community member through direct chat settings stops interaction with that person without altering visibility rules for other members or administrators. Leaving a community removes the user from the announcements group and ends visibility within that structure, although members who saved the contact or chatted keep that information independently. Advanced chat privacy stops users from sharing messages and media outside WhatsApp but does not alter phone number visibility.

Privacy experts have said that using fewer personal phone numbers as digital identifiers lowers exposure to unwanted contact, scams and security threats. WhatsApp said sharing a phone number with someone new can feel like a significant step because numbers are personal and tied to many parts of life, adding, “Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits.”

WhatsApp released username support to chosen Android and iOS users, with a broader launch expected later in 2026. Users can change or remove usernames at any time. Reserving a username requires updating WhatsApp and going to Settings, Account, then Username.