WhatsApp Might Soon Let You Call Other Users By Typing Their Username

WhatsApp has been working on adding support for usernames to the messaging platform for a while now, and a feature tracker has now spotted signs that users will also be allowed to make calls by searching for a username. The messaging platform is now expected to add support for both texting and calling other users without exchanging phone numbers, which could arrive with future updates. This functionality is already offered by Signal, but WhatsApp's implementation could also include support for a feature called a username key.

How Searching and Calling on WhatsApp With Usernames Works

On recent versions of WhatsApp's beta releases for iOS and Android, feature tracker WABetaInfo discovered code that hints at a new way to search for users and call them on the messaging platform. WhatsApp might soon let users search for a person's username and call them, without knowing or dialling their phone number. This functionality is still in development, which means that you can't try it out yet, even if you're a beta tester and have the latest testing versions installed.

WhatsApp's username search option for calls (tap to expand)
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

According to the information shared by WABetaInfo, the messaging platform will eventually let users search for a person's username via the search bar in the Calls tab on WhatsApp. If a match is found, the caller can tap on the voice call or video call buttons on the screen. Depending on the privacy settings selected, the caller might also see the profile photo of the person they are trying to call.

It's easy to see how such a feature could be misused by spammers and scammers to call users without knowing their phone number. In order to combat this, the messaging platform will use "username keys", which means that unknown users must enter the correct username key to place a call. It's said to be an optional feature, but it sounds like it could be quite useful at keeping spammers at bay.

WhatsApp is busy working on several new features such as the ability to set a cover photo, in-chat storage management, filters for media and stickers, message limits for new chats, and a new channel quiz feature. There's no word from the company on when we can expect these new features to arrive, or whether all of them will make their way to users. They're expected to arrive on the beta channel, where they will be tested before they are rolled out to all users.