WhatsApp has been working on adding support for usernames for some time now, and while the feature hasn’t been rolled out to the public yet, the service has now added an interesting new feature.
In the latest beta version of WhatsApp for Android (2.24.18.2), you can set a username PIN so that people you haven’t interacted with before won’t be able to message you if they know your username.
This seems like an incredibly useful feature that should cut down on spam (which is a prevalent problem on WhatsApp these days). With PIN, if someone you haven’t interacted with before on WhatsApp wants to send you a message, they’ll not only need to know your username, but also your PIN (which will need to be at least four digits).
On the other hand, conversations with people you’re already in touch with will continue as if nothing has changed, even after usernames are rolled out to everyone.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear when the username feature or PIN support will come out of beta, but judging by WhatsApp’s usual development timelines, we’d be surprised to see them available before the end of the year.