WhatsApp is introducing usernames and a new technical identifier, the BSUID. Here’s what it means for WhatsApp API operations and what to prepare before it rolls out.
WhatsApp has announced the arrival of usernames — unique handles that allow people to be identified and contacted without relying on a phone number. For end users, it’s an experience shift. For businesses running on the WhatsApp Business API, the impact is more technical and worth addressing before the feature is fully live.
What usernames are on WhatsApp
A username is a public identifier chosen by the user (in the format @username) that works alongside their phone number. Someone can be found and messaged using that handle, without sharing their number.
From the user’s perspective, this is a privacy and convenience upgrade. From the business side, it introduces a second way to identify a contact that needs to be accounted for across your entire operation.
What the BSUID is
Alongside usernames, WhatsApp is introducing the BSUID (Business Solution User Identifier) — a technical identifier assigned on the API side that complements the phone number as a way to reference a contact within a business operation.
In practice, this means a contact can have: a phone number, a username, and a BSUID. Depending on how your flows and systems are configured, these three references need to be handled consistently to avoid conversation breaks or loss of context.
What might be affected in your operation
Contact identification in webhooks If your webhooks use the phone number as the primary key to identify a user, you need to assess whether the BSUID could alter the payload structure and how your current system handles that.
Conversation continuity Flows that depend on precise contact identification to maintain context — conversation history, funnel stage, open tickets — need to be robust enough to handle the new identification layer without dropping the thread.
CRM data If you store contacts in your CRM with the phone number as the unique identifier, you may need to update the data model to also store the BSUID when it becomes available.
Templates and opt-ins Campaign contact lists for WhatsApp API outreach are typically built around phone numbers. The username doesn’t replace the opt-in requirement, but new capture flows may start using usernames as an entry point.
What to prepare now
Even though the rollout is gradual, the right time to review your architecture is before the impact hits, not after. It’s worth mapping:
Which systems use the phone number as the primary key for WhatsApp contacts; how your webhooks currently handle user identification; whether the WhatsApp API platform you use already has documentation on BSUID support.
How Treble.ai is preparing
We closely monitor WhatsApp API updates to ensure our clients’ operations maintain continuity without disruptions. As official BSUID support rolls out, we’ll communicate what changes and what needs to be done on the configuration side.
Questions about the impact on your operation? Reach out!
