Usernames Are Coming to WhatsApp Soon. Here’s How to Reserve Yours

WhatsApp 即将推出用户名功能，教你如何抢先预订

One of WhatsApp’s most in-demand features is finally coming out of beta. Later this year, the messaging app used by over 3 billion people plans to add usernames. It’s an additional (and more privacy-friendly) way for WhatsApp users to connect without sharing phone numbers. But that means the race to grab the best WhatsApp usernames is about to begin. Hold on tight.

WhatsApp 最受期待的功能之一终于结束了测试阶段。今年晚些时候，这款拥有超过 30 亿用户的通讯应用计划正式加入“用户名”功能。这为 WhatsApp 用户提供了一种额外且更注重隐私的联系方式，无需再分享手机号码。这意味着，抢注心仪 WhatsApp 用户名的竞争即将拉开帷幕，请做好准备。

WhatsApp says username reservations open up this week on the platform, and you’ll see a notification in the app when it’s available. Check in the app by going to Settings and then Account. Here’s where you’ll find the Username tab if it’s enabled. Then, you’ll have the option to create a new username or port over your existing name from Instagram or Facebook. WhatsApp offers a username generator, but you can also just go with your gut (or really whatever you’re feeling at the moment).

WhatsApp 表示，用户名预订功能将于本周在平台上开放，当该功能可用时，你会在应用内收到通知。你可以通过进入“设置”并点击“账号”来查看。如果该功能已启用，你就能在这里找到“用户名”选项卡。届时，你可以选择创建一个新用户名，或者从 Instagram 或 Facebook 导入现有的名称。WhatsApp 提供了一个用户名生成器，但你也可以凭直觉（或随心所欲）来设定。

“Usernames are designed to give you control over who gets to see your phone number in the first place,” says Alice Newton-Rex, vice president of Product at WhatsApp. “It’s an optional feature; you choose your own username, you can change it or remove it, and it doesn’t have to match your handle or account name on any other app.”

“推出用户名的初衷，是让你能够掌控谁能看到你的手机号码，”WhatsApp 产品副总裁 Alice Newton-Rex 表示。“这是一个可选功能；你可以自行选择用户名，也可以随时更改或删除它，而且它不必与你在其他应用上的账号名称保持一致。”

Newton-Rex stressed that this WhatsApp feature was designed around user privacy. There’s no public list of usernames for people to search through. Users can also add an extra layer of security by only allowing people who know a unique four-digit key, in addition to their username, to contact them.

Newton-Rex 强调，WhatsApp 的这一功能是围绕用户隐私设计的。平台不会提供可供公开搜索的用户名列表。用户还可以增加一层额外的安全保障：除了用户名之外，仅允许知道特定四位数密钥的人与自己联系。

These usernames will remain fully optional, but Newton-Rex sees this new choice as a privacy measure many existing users have already expressed excitement about. “I do think that we’ll see a lot of adoption, but that’s going to be one of the things that we learn as we start rolling it out,” she says.

这些用户名完全是可选的，但 Newton-Rex 认为，许多现有用户已经对这一新的隐私保护措施表现出了极大的兴趣。“我相信会有很多人使用这项功能，但随着功能的逐步推广，我们也会进一步观察和学习用户的反馈，”她说。

WhatsApp is not shy about this feature’s similarities to competitors. “Signal usernames are probably a good comparison,” Newton-Rex says. “This will work in a very similar way.” Signal rolled out usernames on its platform in 2024. Many messaging apps are still experimenting with different ways for users to connect without sharing numbers. For example, Germ DM allows its users to create “burner cards” so people can connect with multiple groups in different ways.

WhatsApp 并不避讳该功能与竞争对手的相似之处。“Signal 的用户名功能是一个很好的参考，”Newton-Rex 说，“我们的运作方式非常相似。”Signal 已于 2024 年在其平台上推出了用户名功能。许多通讯应用仍在尝试各种方式，让用户在不分享号码的情况下建立联系。例如，Germ DM 允许用户创建“一次性卡片”（burner cards），以便人们能以不同的方式与多个群组进行交流。

If you’re thinking that this could be your chance to snag @kimkardashian on WhatsApp, you’re out of luck. You’re not even going to be able to get @k1mkarda$hian, bucko. “The highest-profile names, like public figures or government entities or celebrities, are held,” Newton-Rex says. “So, they can only ever be claimed by their legitimate owners. Look-alike derivatives of known names are also held back as well.” Even if you’re not a celebrity, you will still have first dibs on your existing Facebook or Instagram account name during this RSVP period before the wider launch.

如果你以为这是在 WhatsApp 上抢注 @kimkardashian 的好机会，那恐怕要让你失望了。伙计，你甚至连 @k1mkarda$hian 都抢不到。“像公众人物、政府机构或名人这类高知名度的名称已被预留，”Newton-Rex 说，“因此，它们只能由合法所有者认领。知名名称的仿冒变体也会被限制注册。”即便你不是名人，在正式全面推出前的预订阶段，你依然拥有优先权，可以抢先注册你现有的 Facebook 或 Instagram 账号名称。

That username hold doesn’t last forever. Best to grab yours this week as the global reservation rollout begins, while there are still plenty of options left.

这种用户名预留并非永久有效。随着全球预订功能的开启，建议你本周就去抢注，趁现在还有很多选择。