WhatsApp usernames are no longer a dream, they’re real, and they’re coming very soon!

We’ve known about the feature for the better part of the last two years now, and well, the solution to the phone-number-sharing dilemma is going to be here soon. The messaging giant has confirmed that username support will roll out next year, and you should be able to call dibs on your preferred handle!

Early leaks and beta builds have revealed that the messaging giant is silently working on a ‘reservation’ feature that will let users claim their handle before the functionality goes live widely. Now, it looks like WhatsApp might also be looking to leverage its Meta family ties to help users kickstart the reservation process.

As highlighted by the folks over at WABetaInfo after digging into version 2.25.34.3 of the app, WhatsApp users will have the option to reserve the same username as their Facebook and/or Instagram profile.

You’ll have to verify ownership

Credit: WABetaInfo

This is big for those wanting consistency across digital platforms, especially those that already have a highly-sought-after handle on either Instagram or Facebook. Users will, of course, have to verify that they own the submitted username on either of the other two platforms.

Meta will facilitate this via its Accounts Center. If the full username feature goes live for other users before you, they will not be able to claim the username you’ve already reserved.

The feature will become available to a larger audience soon after the early reservation feature goes live. Those without a reserved username will be able to claim/create one while keeping WhatsApp’s username rules in mind. These include:

• Usernames can’t begin with “www.”

• Usernames must contain at least one letter.

• Only certain characters are allowed: lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), periods, and underscores.

• Usernames can not end with a domain like .com or .net.

• Usernames can not start or end with a period.

• Character length must be between 3 and 30 characters.