WhatsApp is expanding usernames to more users while adding new business and admin tools across the app.
A limited group of users can already use WhatsApp usernames to contact new people and businesses, giving operators a new way to be found without relying only on phone numbers. WhatsApp is also pushing usernames more prominently in the App Store and Google Play, but access still varies by user and surface.
Usernames move from test territory into visible rollout
Usernames are the clearest live change in this batch. Some users can already use them to start contact with new people and businesses, which shifts the first touchpoint away from sharing a raw phone number in every case. For businesses that use WhatsApp as an inbound channel, that matters in practical terms: it can make discovery and customer outreach cleaner, especially when teams want a more brand-like contact path inside the app.
WhatsApp is also no longer keeping the feature tucked away. The company is promoting usernames more visibly in its App Store and Google Play listings, which puts the feature in front of a much wider audience than a small in-app test would. It is still rolling out unevenly across accounts.
Business accounts and channel admins get new control layers
WhatsApp Business is also adding multi-account support, letting users manage two separate profiles inside the business app. For operators running different lines for sales, support, locations, or brands, that can reduce the need to juggle separate devices or logins just to keep workflows split. The immediate value is straightforward: two business identities can sit inside the same app environment, which should make day-to-day routing and account switching simpler.
Channel admins are getting a more targeted management tool as well. WhatsApp now shows private view counts for channel updates inside the message bubble itself, and that metric is visible only to the admin. Regular followers do not see it. That gives admins a built-in read on update reach without turning every post into a public performance display, and it adds a lightweight tracking signal for teams that use Channels for broadcasts and audience updates. What remains unclear is how widely that metric applies across different channel formats, but the admin-only placement is already clear.
iPhone bubbles, Android parental controls, and the security shift ahead
On iPhone, WhatsApp is redesigning message bubbles with rounder corners, and photos and videos are losing the framed treatment around them. This is a visual change rather than a full app overhaul, but it is noticeable because it affects the core chat surface users see all day. The update gives chats a softer look while leaving the broader product structure intact.
On Android, WhatsApp is adding a dedicated parental controls entry point in settings. The underlying controls are not new, but the new placement should make them easier to find and set up, which is often the real barrier with account-management features. Today, two-step verification still uses a PIN. WhatsApp is testing a change that would replace that PIN with a password, but the password version is not live yet and the company has not explained how existing PIN setups would migrate.
Check for usernames, WhatsApp Business multi-account support, and admin-only channel view counts first; treat the password-based two-step verification change as one to watch, not a live account update.
Disclaimer: This article was created with the assistance of AI. Images are for illustrative purposes only.
About the author
Samarth Agrawal is an AI and technology professional who writes about WhatsApp, automation, and emerging AI trends. He focuses on simplifying complex tech updates into practical insights for businesses, creators, and everyday users
