PARIS, France (AFP) — The hundreds of millions who use Meta-owned messenger WhatsApp to chat with family, friends or businesses will no longer need to share phone numbers under a coming update, the company said Monday.

Instead, people will be able to pick unique usernames to share with others, in a move “designed to protect the privacy of your phone number”, WhatsApp said in a statement.

Restricting access to phone numbers would mean they are not shared automatically in cases such as being added to a large group chat or messaging a person or business for the first time, the company added.

What’s more “there’s no directory to browse and no suggestions, so people need to know your exact username to contact you”, Meta said.

As with other social media services, the sheer number of people — Meta claims over three billion — using WhatsApp means many may not get their first choice of handle.

The company said it would gradually roll out username reservations worldwide “over the coming months”, notifying users in each country when they open there.

Meanwhile, “creators, small businesses and organisations” will be allowed to claim WhatsApp usernames that they already use on fellow Meta products, Facebook or Instagram.