How to Reserve Your WhatsApp Business Username (Before Someone Else Does)

On June 29, 2026, WhatsApp finally opened username reservations to everyone. If you run a business on WhatsApp, this is one of those rare five-minute tasks that's genuinely worth dropping everything for — because usernames are unique across all of WhatsApp, and the namespace is global. There is exactly one @yourbrand, and right now it's first come, first served.

We spent the past week integrating the new username APIs into our own product, so this guide covers the parts the news articles skip: the exact format rules, what happens on API numbers (where there's no app to tap through), and what a username actually changes for a business.

What launched, in one paragraph

Usernames let people find and message you by a handle like @acme.support instead of a phone number. For personal accounts, that's a privacy feature — your number can stay hidden. For business accounts, it works differently, and this catches people out: a business username is a searchable brand handle, but it does not hide your business phone number. Your number stays on your profile. Think of it as claiming your brand name in a brand-new directory, not as a cloaking device.

Reservations are open now; the full experience (people actually searching and messaging @you) switches on country by country. Anything you reserve today is held for you until then.

The format rules (so your name doesn't get rejected)

WhatsApp validates usernames against a fairly specific rule set. We learned these the precise way — by wiring them into form validation — so here's the complete list:

• 3 to 35 characters
• Only letters, digits, periods and underscores (a–z, 0–9, ., _)
• At least one letter (purely numeric names are out)
• No period at the start or end, and no two periods in a row
• Can't start with www
• Can't end in something that looks like a domain — .com, .net, .org and friends are all rejected
• Case doesn't matter (Acme and acme are the same name), but periods and underscores do: acme, ac.me and ac_me are three different usernames

One more thing worth knowing: a username maps to one phone number. If your brand runs three WhatsApp numbers, decide which one deserves the handle — you can transfer it between your own numbers later, but only one holds it at a time.

Path A: WhatsApp Business app

If your business runs on the free WhatsApp Business app:

1. Open the app and go to Tools (or Settings on iPhone), then Profile.
2. Tap Reserve username (some accounts see Create username).
3. Type your name, and the app validates it live.
4. Confirm. Done — it's held for you.

Meta pre-reserves some names for verified brands and public figures, matching things like your display name or your Facebook and Instagram handles. If your desired name is "taken" but it's your brand on Instagram, link the accounts in Meta Business Suite and you can usually claim it.

Path B: personal WhatsApp

For completeness — on a personal account it's Settings → Account → Username. Same rules. This one does let you hide your phone number from new chats, which is the headline feature for regular users.

Path C: API numbers (this is the part nobody covers)

Numbers on the WhatsApp Business API (Cloud API) have no app to tap through. You have two options:

WhatsApp Manager. Open WhatsApp Manager, pick the phone number, and look for the Username section. You'll see suggestions WhatsApp has already reserved for your business — those have the highest approval odds — or you can request a custom name.

The API itself. Meta shipped username endpoints for API numbers: one to list your reserved suggestions, one to claim or change a name, one to check the current status. Two details from our integration work that will save you a support ticket:

• A successful claim returns a status of either approved or reserved. Reserved is not an error — it just means usernames aren't live in your country yet, and the name will activate automatically.
• If the name is already in use on another of your own numbers, the request fails with a specific error code (147005) until you explicitly ask for a transfer. Nothing is broken; it's a safety check so you don't silently strip a handle off a live number.

If your API number is connected to Bitrix24 through WASync, you don't need any of that plumbing: there's a Username button on the connection, which shows Meta's reserved suggestions and lets you claim, change or remove the handle without leaving the CRM. We built it on those same endpoints.

Why "later" is the wrong answer

Three practical reasons to reserve this week, not this quarter:

1. Squatting is inevitable. One namespace, hundreds of millions of businesses. Common brand words will go fast, and WhatsApp's dispute process is untested so far.
2. Your competitors are literally in the queue. The reservation screen has been the most-clicked thing in WhatsApp for days — BBC and TechCrunch both covered the rush.
3. It's upstream of a bigger shift. Usernames come alongside business-scoped user IDs, WhatsApp's move away from phone numbers as the universal identifier. Customers who adopt usernames may message you without ever revealing a phone number — which changes how your CRM matches contacts. (If you run WhatsApp into a CRM, that migration deserves your attention regardless of whether you reserve a name.)

The five-minute version

• Business app: Tools → Profile → Reserve username
• Personal app: Settings → Account → Username
• API number: WhatsApp Manager → your number → Username, or via the API
• API number in Bitrix24 with WASync: Connections → Username, pick a suggestion, save

Check the format rules above before you get creative, remember it doesn't hide a business number, and if you're choosing between numbers — give the handle to the one your customers actually message.

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Want the deeper integration picture — QR numbers vs the official API, and what each means for your Bitrix24 setup? Start with our guide to connecting WhatsApp to Bitrix24.