WhatsApp Builds Phone Number Hiding Into Beta, Starting at 'Nobody'

WhatsApp is developing a privacy setting that lets users hide their phone number from everyone by default, according to a feature spotted in beta version 2.26.45.1 for Android.

The control offers four visibility options: Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except, and Nobody. Anyone who already uses WhatsApp's existing privacy controls for profile photos or last seen will recognise the layout immediately. It builds on the username system the platform introduced in June, which replaces the phone number as a user's public identifier.

What does the new setting actually change?

For most of WhatsApp's history, using the app has meant handing over your phone number to anyone you chat with. The new setting loosens that trade-off — with two limits.

First, it only applies to people who have set up a username, since the username is what stands in for the number as the public identifier. Second, it can't erase what people already know. If someone has your phone number saved, they will still see it in conversations and calls regardless of what you choose.

Why does the default matter for businesses?

The default is where the setting gets interesting. WhatsApp currently hides your number automatically from anyone who reaches you through your username, and the new control will start at Nobody — so privacy-minded users won't need to change anything.

The real purpose seems aimed at the opposite group. Small business owners, freelancers and anyone who wants contacts to have their number for calls or SMS will now be able to reveal it deliberately, either to everyone or to a selected circle.

For brands and merchants running WhatsApp Business conversations, that flips the model: the number becomes something you choose to disclose to a customer circle, not an automatic by-product of every chat.

How far along is the rollout?

Not far. Usernames themselves are still not fully live — users can currently reserve a handle, but the broader rollout is ongoing, and the new visibility control is not yet available even to beta testers. There is no timeline for a public release.

Is WhatsApp behind its rivals?

Yes. Telegram has long allowed users to hide their numbers behind usernames, and Signal added usernames in 2024 for the same reason. For a platform with WhatsApp's enormous reach, though, the shift matters more. Phone numbers have been an easy route for spam, scams and unwanted contact, particularly in large groups and community chats where members are often strangers.

The open question is adoption speed. Granular privacy controls only help if people actually stop sharing their numbers in the first place — and until usernames reach full rollout, most WhatsApp contacts still connect the old way.