new
WhatsApp usernames
WhatsApp is rolling out usernames, which let people message a business without ever sharing a phone number. HighLevel added support for this ahead of Meta's rollout, so these customers are captured as contacts automatically from the moment the feature reaches your market.
> Nothing about your existing setup changes. This only affects brand-new inbounds from customers who have turned on a WhatsApp username, and HighLevel already handles those.
What's new
📇 Contact capture for username adopters
- New-customer capture:When a WhatsApp user who has adopted a username messages your business for the very first time (a net-new contact who has never messaged you before), HighLevel creates a contact from their username and business-scoped user ID (BSUID). We built this ahead of Meta's release, so you are ready from day one as usernames roll out to your regions.
✅ What does not change
- Messaging by phone number works exactly as before:Every phone-based conversation continues unchanged. You send and receive on phone numbers with no difference in behavior.
- Contact import is untouched:Importing contacts by phone number works exactly as it does today. Nothing about your import flow changes.
- Existing contacts are unaffected:Your current contacts, their records, and their full conversation history stay intact. No migration, no disruption to running automations.
- The only difference:On a first-time message from a customer who has adopted a username, you will not receive their phone number. HighLevel captures them by username and BSUID so the conversation and the lead are still yours.
How to activate
Nothing to do. Contact creation for username adopters is on automatically. Phone-number messaging, imports, and your existing contacts continue to work as they always have.
Availability
This is in beta with Meta, who are releasing it gradually region by region. Usernames are rolling out first in these markets:
- Algeria, Azerbaijan, Ghana, Libya, Nepal
- Colombia, Dominican Republic, Singapore, Malaysia, Peru
More regions will follow as Meta expands the beta.
Common questions
Do I need to change anything?
No. This works automatically. Your existing setup, contacts, imports, and automations continue exactly as they are.
Does messaging by phone number still work?
Yes, with no change. Every conversation where you have the customer's phone number behaves exactly as it does today.
Does contact import change?
No. Importing contacts by phone number works the same way it always has.
What actually changes, then?
Only one thing. When a customer who has switched on a WhatsApp username messages you for the very first time, WhatsApp does not share their phone number with you. Instead of that lead falling through, HighLevel creates the contact using their username and their BSUID.
Can I message a customer using only their username?
No. A username is a display label, not an address. WhatsApp does not let you look a customer up by username, and it routes messages only by phone number or by the customer's BSUID. So you cannot start a brand-new conversation with someone you only know by username.
Can I reply to a customer who messaged me from a username?
Yes. Once they message you first, HighLevel captures their BSUID, and you can reply and keep the conversation going, following the same WhatsApp session-window and template rules that apply to every conversation.
Can I proactively reach out (cold) to a username-only lead?
No. Because there is no way to resolve a username to a phone number or a BSUID, you cannot initiate an outbound message to a customer you only know by username. You can only message them after they have contacted you, which is when their BSUID becomes available.
What is a BSUID?
A business-scoped user ID. It is a unique identifier WhatsApp assigns to each customer for your business specifically, and it lets you keep messaging that customer even when their phone number is hidden. It is scoped to your account, so it is not a phone number and not shared across other businesses.
Will I still get phone numbers from customers who adopt usernames?
Often, yes. If you have an existing relationship with the customer (for example, you have exchanged messages recently, or they are already in your Meta contact book), WhatsApp continues to share their phone number. The phone number is withheld mainly in the case of a brand-new customer who adopts a username and contacts you for the first time.
Does this affect billing, templates, or my automations?
No. There are no changes to WhatsApp billing, template approval, or your existing workflows and automations.
Is a username permanent?
No. Customers can change their username at any time, which is exactly why it is not used as an identifier. The BSUID stays stable for your business, so your conversation history and automations stay reliable.
Why this matters for your business
Usernames give WhatsApp users phone-number privacy, and adoption is entirely the customer's choice, so you cannot control who uses it. HighLevel added support ahead of Meta's rollout, so as the feature reaches your markets a first-time username inbound is captured automatically rather than slipping past a CRM that cannot read it. You stay ready while other platforms are still catching up.
- Ready ahead of Meta's rollout, so username adopters are captured the moment the feature reaches your market
- No gap in lead capture as customers move to phone-number privacy
- Zero setup and no change to phone-number messaging, imports, or existing contacts, so no operational cost or migration risk to absorb
Keep WhatsApp on, and you are already covered as usernames roll out to your markets.
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