WhatsApp Business Usernames and Business-Scoped User IDs in 2026
WhatsApp is adding usernames in 2026. Businesses can reserve a WhatsApp username from 29 June 2026, and customers can adopt one too. When a customer uses a username, their phone number may no longer come through with their messages, so Meta now sends a business-scoped user ID with each customer instead. Any workflow that finds a customer by phone number needs another way to identify them.
What is changing
Until now, every WhatsApp conversation came with the customer’s phone number. Businesses used that number to find the customer in their CRM, booking system or store.
With usernames, people can chat without sharing their number. Meta is rolling usernames out gradually through 2026. The rollout is paused in India.
To keep conversations identifiable, Meta began sending a business-scoped user ID with each customer in April 2026. The ID is specific to your business.
| Change | What Meta says |
|---|---|
| Business-scoped user IDs | Sent with each customer from April 2026. |
| Business usernames | Businesses can reserve a WhatsApp username from 29 June 2026. |
| Rollout | Usernames roll out gradually through 2026. Paused in India. |
| Phone numbers | If a customer adopts a username, their phone number may be missing from messages. |
| When the number still comes through | If there was contact with the business in the last 30 days, or the customer is in the business’s contact book. |
Source: Meta, WhatsApp business-scoped user IDs, checked 31 October 2026.
Reserving a username for your business
A username gives customers a way to find and message your business by name instead of by number. Reserve one early, while the name you want is still free, and use the same name you use on Instagram, your website and your shop signs, so customers recognise it.
Your phone number keeps working. Customers who already have your number, your wa.me link or your WhatsApp button can still message you exactly as before.
Business-scoped user IDs
A business-scoped user ID identifies a customer to your business only. It stays the same for that customer across conversations with you, so you can recognise a returning customer even when no phone number arrives.
The ID does not exist in your other systems. Your CRM, booking system and store know the customer by phone number or email. So the first time a customer without a visible number writes to you, you need to connect the ID to a record you already hold.
Where phone-number lookups break
Any step that searches for the customer by phone number can fail when the number is missing. Common examples:
- Order tracking that finds the order by the customer’s phone number.
- Appointment changes that look up the booking by phone.
- Lead capture that creates or updates a CRM contact keyed on phone.
- Loyalty balances and invoice copies tied to a phone number.
The fix is simple. When no number is available, ask for an email address, an order number or a booking reference, look the customer up with that, and keep the link for the next conversation.
What this means for your business
Customers you are in regular contact with are less affected, because the number still comes through when there was contact in the last 30 days or the customer is in your contact book. New customers and people who have not messaged you for a while are the ones most likely to arrive without a number.
Review every workflow that depends on the phone number before usernames reach your market. A lookup that silently fails sends the customer to a person, or worse, to a wrong record.
Save customers to your business contact book where you have their consent, and keep a second identifier, usually email, in your CRM for every customer.
How AeroChat handles it
AeroChat workflows that look a customer up by phone number also ask for an email or booking reference when no number is available. Order lookup verifies the customer’s email or phone first, and orders are never stored.
The same rule runs in order tracking, rescheduling and cancellations and lead capture into your CRM. When the customer gives an email, AeroChat finds or creates the contact in HubSpot, Pipedrive or the system you use.
You describe the workflow in your own words, in any language, and that includes what to ask for when the number is missing.
Questions
When can a business get a WhatsApp username?
Businesses can reserve a WhatsApp username from 29 June 2026. Usernames roll out gradually through 2026, and the rollout is paused in India.
Will I still see my customers’ phone numbers?
Often, yes. A customer who adopts a username may hide their number, but it still comes through if they have been in contact with you in the last 30 days or are in your contact book.
What is a business-scoped user ID?
An identifier Meta sends with each customer, specific to your business. It lets you recognise the same customer across conversations even when their phone number is hidden.
Do I need to change my WhatsApp number or link?
No. Your number, wa.me links and chat buttons keep working. A username adds a way for customers to find you.
Get ready for customers without a phone number
Set your WhatsApp workflows to ask for an email or reference when the number is missing, and keep every lookup working.
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Related guides: the WhatsApp Business API and WhatsApp Business for multiple users.