Want customers to message your business without having to remember its phone number?
A WhatsApp Business username gives them a recognizable handle, while your business number remains visible on the profile.
To create one on an eligible account, open Tools > Profile > Create username on Android. On iPhone, go to Tools > Edit Profile > Create username.
Save an available handle, or follow the reservation flow if that is what your app offers.
This guide covers creating, reserving and sharing a WhatsApp Business App username on Android and iPhone, along with common errors.
We’ll also explain when AiSensy can help a growing team manage the enquiries through the Business API.
What is a username in the WhatsApp Business App?
A WhatsApp Business username is an optional, unique handle for your business account, displayed with an @ symbol.
For example, a fictional bakery called Mira Bakes could use @mirabakes, if that handle is available.
Your business name tells customers which brand they’re speaking to, while your unique username identifies the account they can message.
You still register the account with a phone number, which remains visible on the business profile.
Each business number can have one username, so separate branch numbers need different handles.
Customers who haven’t saved your number will see the username in chats, calls and groups, while existing contacts can keep seeing the details they saved.
Adding a username leaves your existing chats, profile photo and business description in place.
WhatsApp has no browsable username directory.
A customer needs your exact handle, so a username helps most when you share it where people already encounter your business.
See WhatsApp’s explanation of business usernames for the visibility rules.
Setting up a personal account instead?
Follow our guide to personal WhatsApp usernames, which covers the personal app’s different privacy settings.
Can you create or reserve a Business App username now?
Last checked: 27 October 2026. WhatsApp says business usernames are rolling out gradually.
Your app may offer reservation before it lets customers contact you by the handle.
Updating the app gives you the latest available version, but access still depends on the rollout for your account.
Reservation holds your chosen handle. Other accounts can’t claim it while it’s reserved, but customers can’t see it or message you through it yet.
Activation makes the handle usable. WhatsApp sends a notification when a reserved username is ready.
India availability: On 10 July 2026, Akashvani reported that the ministry had asked Meta to hold the India rollout until consultations concluded.
That report concerns the proposed launch; it does not confirm whether your account has since received access.
Follow WhatsApp’s activation notification before promoting your handle as a working contact method.
Keep your existing number and contact link available until WhatsApp activates the handle for your account.
WhatsApp’s business reservation guide explains what a reservation holds.
How to create a username in the WhatsApp Business App
Use the official WhatsApp Business app on your main phone.
Creating and editing business usernames isn’t available on WhatsApp Web.
WhatsApp Manager has a separate workflow for Platform numbers.
On Android
- Open WhatsApp Business and go to Tools > Profile.
- Tap Create username.
- Enter your preferred handle and review the availability result.
- Tap Save.
On iPhone
- Open the Tools tab and tap Edit Profile.
- Tap Create username > Create username.
- Enter the handle you want to use.
- Tap Save > Done.
These are the device-specific steps in WhatsApp’s Business App setup instructions.
If your account offers reservation instead, follow the reservation flow below.
How to reserve a WhatsApp Business App username
- Open your business profile.
- Under Username, tap Reserve username > Reserve username.
- Enter an available handle and tap Reserve.
- Tap Done, then wait for WhatsApp’s activation notification before promoting it as a working contact method.
If you’re a Meta Verified business with a custom web page address, WhatsApp says a matching business username is already reserved for you.
Check the username shown in your account before starting a separate claim.
Choose a handle your customers will recognize
Start with the name customers already associate with your business so they can recognize it when they reach your WhatsApp profile.
Keep the handle short enough to say over a call and easy to type correctly, and agree on the choice with your team before adding it to packaging or social profiles.
Keep the handle short enough to say over a call and easy to type correctly, and agree on the choice with your team before adding it to packaging or social profiles.
For our fictional bakery, @mirabakes is the first choice. If it’s taken, @mirabakespune could identify the location, while @miraorders could suit a dedicated order number.
These are illustrative ideas; their availability has not been checked.
If it’s taken, @mirabakespune could identify the location, while @miraorders could suit a dedicated order number.
These are illustrative ideas; their availability has not been checked.
WhatsApp’s current Business App creation guide allows up to 25 characters using lowercase English letters and numbers, while its reservation guide lists 3–35 characters with periods and underscores.
A short handle of 3–25 characters with at least one letter fits both sets of instructions.
Follow the validation on your own create or reserve screen if you want to use another format.
Avoid putting a temporary offer or an employee’s name into the main business handle.
A stable brand-based choice can stay useful as your products and team change.
Claiming a username also doesn’t create a verification badge or establish exclusive rights to the business name.
A stable brand-based choice can stay useful as your products and team change.
Claiming a username also doesn’t create a verification badge or establish exclusive rights to the business name.
Can you use your Instagram or Facebook username?
If you already use the handle on Instagram or Facebook, link the relevant business profiles first.
In WhatsApp Business, go to Tools > Facebook and Instagram and follow the prompts to connect your Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile.
Return to the username flow after the connection is complete.
In WhatsApp Business, go to Tools > Facebook and Instagram and follow the prompts to connect your Facebook Page or Instagram Business profile.
Return to the username flow after the connection is complete.
Some handles are held for their existing social-account owners, so linking can help establish that the username belongs to your business.
It doesn’t guarantee that every requested handle will be accepted. Use WhatsApp’s account-linking instructions for the ownership checks.
Using an API number instead of the Business App?
API numbers use Meta’s Platform controls, and their connected systems need to support customer identifiers such as BSUIDs.
Read our WhatsApp Business API username and BSUID guide for CRM mapping, webhooks and integration readiness. The mobile App steps in this article cover a separate setup.
How customers can use your business username
Once it’s active, give customers the exact handle and a clear invitation, such as “Message @mirabakes on WhatsApp to ask about a cake.”
They can enter the full username when starting a chat and check the business profile before sending a message.
They can enter the full username when starting a chat and check the business profile before sending a message.
Copy the username’s share link or QR code from your account.
WhatsApp documents the username-link format as wa.me/YourUsername; use your account’s actual link instead of constructing an untested one.
A link suits a website or social profile, while a QR code suits a menu, receipt or counter display.
Test it on another phone before printing. See WhatsApp’s contact-by-username guide.
On Android, open Tools > the three-dot menu > Short link > View QR Code. On iPhone, open Tools > Short Link > QR Code.
If your account has a business username, WhatsApp displays it on the code.
Use the code generated for your account, following WhatsApp’s business QR code instructions.
If you change the handle later, replace the old QR code and shared links.
Our WhatsApp QR code guide also explains number-based contact codes, which remain a separate option while you wait for username activation.
Should your business use a username key?
A username key is an optional code for people contacting you by username for the first time.
It can help you control who starts a conversation, but a customer who sees only your handle may need another piece of information before reaching you.
On Android and iPhone, open Tools > Profile > Username > Contact me by username > People who know my key.
WhatsApp generates a key; on iPhone, tap Save key to finish.
Share the generated key alongside your handle so new customers who need it can reach you.
On Android, you can remove the restriction by choosing Everyone and confirming Remove.
Think about where you’re sharing the username.
A private appointment service may prefer a key, while a shop inviting general product enquiries should consider the extra step it adds.
WhatsApp lists exceptions, including people who scan your QR code. Its business username key guide explains the current controls.
Turn new enquiries into a sales conversation with AiSensy
Consider the bakery example again.
A customer asks about a birthday cake, then shares the date, serving size and delivery area.
For a small number of chats, your team can handle that conversation in the Business App.
As enquiries grow, a shared workflow can help the team keep track of the details.
With a number connected to AiSensy through the WhatsApp Business API, you can build a chatbot flow to collect the initial requirements and bring a team member into the conversation for a custom quote.
In AiSensy Live Chat, agents can take over from the bot, update customer attributes and use tags to keep useful context with the enquiry.
For example, your flow could ask for the event date before a team member confirms availability.
A “custom cake enquiry” tag helps distinguish that request from a general menu question.
These are suggested workflows for your team to configure; creating a username doesn’t set them up automatically.
AiSensy’s Live Chat guide explains bot-to-agent handover and customer details.
You can start with a username in the Business App without setting up an API workflow.
If your team needs shared conversation handling and automation, ask AiSensy about the API setup and the support available for your number and connected tools.
How to change or delete your business username
On Android, open Tools > Profile > Username > Edit > Change username. Enter the replacement, tap Save, then Continue.
On iPhone, open Tools > Profile > Username > Change username, enter the new handle, save it and confirm the change.
To delete it in the Business App, open your business profile, tap Username > Edit > Delete username > Delete.
WhatsApp warns that someone else may claim the deleted handle.
Existing chats remain, but customers can no longer reach you through that username.
See the business username deletion guide before removing it.
Why isn’t your WhatsApp Business username working?
The username setting is missing
Update the official Business App and reopen your business profile.
If the option still isn’t there, your account or region may be waiting for access.
A username can also remain reserved while you wait for activation.
“Username is taken”
Someone else has already claimed this handle, so choose an available variation that customers can still recognize.
A location or the type of enquiry your number handles can help distinguish it.
“This username is not available”
The handle may already be claimed or held for its Instagram or Facebook owner.
If that’s your business, complete the account-linking flow before trying again.
An interrupted reservation can also make a handle temporarily unavailable, so wait a few minutes or restart the app before another attempt.
“Try again later”
Several attempts in a short period can trigger a temporary limit.
Wait before submitting another request.
Repeatedly trying the same handle won’t bypass the limit.
A customer can’t find or message the business
First confirm that the username is active.
Then compare the exact spelling with what you shared and check whether a key is required.
If you changed the username, send the current handle and QR code.
WhatsApp’s business username troubleshooting guide covers these errors separately.
Get your handle ready for customers
Once your username is active, ask someone who hasn’t saved your number to open the chat and check that they reach the correct business.
Do this before adding the handle to your next campaign or print run.
If several people will answer these enquiries, explore AiSensy and plan how each conversation will reach the right team member.
FAQs about WhatsApp Business usernames
No. Customers can start a chat without knowing the number first, but the business phone number remains visible on the business profile.
No. A reservation holds the handle for your account. Customers can use it only after WhatsApp activates it and notifies you.
Each phone number needs a distinct username. Your business display name can stay consistent across the profiles.
No. Your existing chats and business profile information remain. Customers can continue contacting you through your phone number.
No. An eligible WhatsApp Business App account can create or reserve a username through the mobile app. Moving to the API is a separate decision for your business’s messaging workflow.
WhatsApp’s App guide allows transfer through its change-number process on the same phone. It does not support transferring the username to an existing business account on another phone. Platform transfers have separate rules.