On June 30, 2026, the way WhatsApp identifies your customers changes forever. This is not a minor update; it’s a structural redesign that affects how you receive leads, manage your database, operate your bots, and how your brand appears in the platform’s native search.

If you have operations, please read the following article carefully.

The Problem Meta is Solving

Today, the phone number is the sole identifier on WhatsApp. While this is convenient for businesses, which receive the user’s data from the first message, it represents the single greatest privacy concern for users interacting with companies.

Meta has responded with a paradigm-shifting solution: Usernames (@username) as the optional primary identity, and the BSUID (Business Scoped User ID) as the per-business backend identifier.

This has concrete implications across four fronts:

• Your brand identity.
• Your data management in systems such as CRM, ERP, or other customer data capture platforms.
• Your communication flows.
• Your technical infrastructure.

Your New WhatsApp Identity: The Corporate @Username

For users, Usernames are a privacy tool. For businesses, they are a tool for identity, discovery, and positioning. With an @username, your company can:

• Appear in WhatsApp’s native search: This means customers who have never had your number can find your name (@yourcompany) directly from the App.
  
• Project professionalism: Instead of a number like +56 987654321, your profile will display @yourcompany.
  
• Be protected against impersonation: Usernames can be pre-claimed through WhatsApp Manager, Meta Business Suite, or the API, linked to your current Facebook or Instagram assets.
  
• Maintain verification: Verified accounts with a blue badge keep that status regardless of the Username.

Recommended Action: Begin the process of reserving your @username before June 30, 2026, prioritizing the handles you already use on other Meta platforms, such as Instagram or Facebook.

The BSUID, The New Core of Your Customer Management

The most significant change is not visible to the end-user, but it is critical for your operation: the Business Scoped User ID (BSUID). This is a unique identifier generated for each user-company relationship.

Key characteristics are:

• It is specific to the business portfolio (Business Manager): The same customer will have different BSUIDs across different companies.
  
• If the user changes their phone number: The BSUID will automatically recognize the user and identify them as the same person, even if they change their number or hide behind an @username. This means you will not lose the user’s history or relationship continuity.
  
• It includes geographic information: The BSUID carries a country prefix (e.g., US.1349, CL 1235, etc.), allowing you to identify a lead’s origin even when the phone number is not visible.
  
• What changes in your stack: Starting in June, users who adopt a Username will be identified by BSUID instead of a phone number. Your CRM, dashboards, and bot engines need to be ready to work with this new identifier as the primary key.

What Changes in Your Communication Flows

What does NOT change:

• Marketing and utility campaigns to your current database of numbers operate without interruption.
  
• Authentication (OTP): Verification codes will continue to operate exclusively by phone number.
  Critical security flows are unaffected.
  
• Active conversations: If there was interaction in the last 30 days, the phone number remains visible (this is evaluated by WABA line number, not by portfolio).

What DOES change:

• Click-to-WhatsApp: Leads from ads arrive identified with a BSUID from the first contact. The reception architecture must be updated.
  
• Inbound Service Messages: Your channels must be prepared to manage inquiries from users who only have a Username, with no phone number available.
  
• Balance and Status Inquiries: Bots that use the phone as a search key must be configured to use the BSUID.

The 30-Day Window and the Contact Book

Meta introduces two mechanisms to ensure operational continuity:

• The 30-Day Rule: If your company and a customer have exchanged messages or calls within the last 30 days, the phone number remains visible. This applies per WABA line number, not at the complete portfolio level.
  
• Contact Book (Available from April 2026): A native WhatsApp infrastructure that automatically links phone numbers with your customers’ BSUIDs. It operates at the portfolio level, meaning that if a customer interacts with any number in your company (sales, support, collections), their identity is validated for all your channels. The linked data is permanently preserved while the business account remains active.

Requesting Phone Numbers When You Need Them

For processes where the phone number remains critical (validations, shipping, references), Meta is enabling a native contact request button that can be integrated into Marketing and Utility templates. The customer shares their data with a single tap, explicitly and with consent.

The Schedule You Need to Have on Your Agenda

The Opportunity Behind the Change

Beyond technical adaptation, this change represents a competitive advantage for the companies that move first:

• A well-chosen corporate Username reduces contact friction and increases the volume of inbound inquiries.
  
• Verified brands with a corporate Username project greater trust and reduce the risk of impersonation.
  
• The BSUID guarantees the continuity of the customer relationship long-term, regardless of number changes or usernames, protecting your most valuable data asset.

Companies that integrate the BSUID into their infrastructure before June will be operating on the new standard from day one. Those who do not will face operational gaps and customer data loss.

Toward a New Era in Customer Relationship

In a market where user privacy is the top priority, Meta has charted the path forward. Adopting the BSUID and corporate Usernames is much more than a system update; it is aligning with a global standard that redefines digital trust. Companies that complete this migration on time will not only avoid costly data breaches or loss of leads but will also position themselves at the forefront of the customer experience.

The ecosystem is changing, and your company has the opportunity to lead this transformation from day one.—–Based on the WhatsApp Business Platform / Meta — Usernames 2026 Update.