Washington, June 30 (QNA) - WhatsApp announced that it will start rolling out a username feature, enabling users to communicate with others without having to exchange phone numbers.

This development will boost user privacy and allow for greater control over personal data.

Starting this week, users will be able to claim their usernames ahead of the feature's gradual rollout over the coming months, WhatsApp said.

Users will receive a notification once the feature is available in their country, it added.

Early username reservation was opened in order to give users the chance to secure their preferred username before the official launch, especially given that WhatsApp has three billion users, something that increases the likelihood of duplicate username requests.

The new feature will allow users to start conversations with new people such as classmates, coworkers, or neighbors and join group chats without revealing their phone numbers.

Once a username is activated, a user's phone number will no longer be visible when contacting new people or businesses for the first time.

However, phone numbers will remain visible to existing contacts and groups with whom they have already been shared, meaning the new privacy protections apply only to future conversations.

There will be no public username directory or searchable database, thus, knowing a user's entire username will be required to start a conversation with them.

To provide an additional layer of security, WhatsApp is introducing a username key, an optional feature that adds a verification code. If enabled, anyone wishing to send the user a message must know this code. (QNA)