News
WhatsApp Tests Unique Usernames To Hide Phone Numbers
The new feature lets users chat through handles, marking a shift in how Meta manages privacy.
WhatsApp is trialing a username system that lets people message without exposing their phone numbers — a bold move that could reshape privacy on the world’s largest messaging app.
Early versions for Android and iOS show users can set unique handles instead of numbers. WABetaInfo, which tracks WhatsApp updates, says Meta is checking for duplicates before a wider release that’s expected soon. The test appears in Android beta version 2.25.28.12, where users can already “reserve” their chosen names ahead of launch.
The change fits Meta’s push to move away from phone-based identity and tighten control over personal data. Users will be able to start chats or join groups using only a username, keeping their number hidden from strangers and spammers. Reports suggest the platform will also let users display only their handle when joining new groups — a move likely to appeal to businesses and communities managing large public channels.
Reports from several media outlets say group participants may soon appear under usernames only. In addition, an unnamed source familiar with the rollout said the aim is to make “interactions between individuals and businesses safer and more controlled”.
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Registration will still require a phone number, but beta testers can already reserve usernames. Each handle must include at least one letter and can use lowercase characters, numbers, periods, or underscores.
For WhatsApp’s two billion users, it’s a clear signal of the platform’s new stance: privacy is being rebuilt around identity, not contact lists. The update also brings the messaging service closer to rivals such as Telegram, which have long supported handle-based communication — underscoring how Meta is adapting its messaging products to modern privacy expectations.
News
LUVED Is A New Curated Preloved Marketplace For The UAE
Sellers keep 100 percent of every sale and AI can build a listing in five seconds — though the app’s smartest tools are still coming.
Secondhand shopping has become mainstream in the UAE, but the experience is still scattered across resale sites, social media and informal group chats. LUVED, a mobile-first marketplace that launched in Dubai this month, is betting it can pull that activity into one place — and that the thing buyers and sellers actually want is not more inventory, but trust.
The app trades in what it calls circular luxury: preloved fashion and lifestyle pieces across men’s, women’s and children’s categories, bought, sold or given away peer to peer. Its main pitch is economics, with sellers keeping 100 percent of every sale under a zero-commission, fast payout model, while buyers are promised vetted pieces at lower prices.
Where LUVED is staking its reputation is verification. Sellers pass a KYC check, and items run through a two-layer authentication system powered by Entrupy that pairs instant AI screening with human expert review for high-value pieces. Authenticity certificates travel with each item, payments sit in escrow, and a buyer-protection package the company calls The Safety Net adds a 48-hour return window and dispute resolution. Door-to-door logistics removes the in-person meetups that make most resale deals awkward.
An in-app assistant called Luvbot — offering selling insights and demand-based recommendations — is soon to be introduced to the platform. Other features include autofill and dynamic pricing that lets users build a listing in as little as five seconds from three photos, plus a swipe-based feed, story-style drops and in-app chat in English and Arabic. Finally, a gifting layer, Luved & Gifted, lets users pass items to others inside the app rather than sell them.
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“After moving to Dubai, I saw how difficult it was to sell or even give things away,” says founder and CEO Shaima Sibtain. The friction is real, and so is the competition. In resale, trust is won transaction by transaction — and that is the test LUVED has set itself.
The app is live on the App Store now, with Google Play to follow. The company also plans to expand across the region, which will be the real test for a marketplace staking everything on trust.
