WhatsApp messaging by username has started to reach some customers, so a few may message you without sharing their phone number. Here’s what you’ll see in Mersal, and where.
3 min read·Updated
What you’ll see on the contact
Mersal recognises these customers by their WhatsApp ID, so they appear like any other contact. The phone number is never left blank. Where it would appear, Mersal shows:
“Phone number not shared”The customer’s @username, if they have one
Hover over “Phone number not shared” to see: “This customer is reachable on WhatsApp but has not shared a phone number with your business.”
The count on the Contacts page
The Contacts page shows how many of your contacts are reachable on WhatsApp without a phone number. You’ll see this line, with your own count in place of N:
“N contacts are reachable on WhatsApp without a phone number.”
Hidden numbers are still rare, so for now this number is usually small. That’s expected, and nothing is wrong.
Contacts with no WhatsApp ID yet
The Contacts page also shows a line like this one:
“N contacts have no WhatsApp ID yet. They can only be reached while their phone number works. Any message exchanged with them fixes this.”
Right after the update, N is close to your total number of contacts. That’s expected, not an error. Mersal fills in WhatsApp IDs as customers message you, and over the coming days from your past conversations.
Finding a contact
Contacts search now finds people by any of these:
Phone number@usernameWhatsApp ID
Conversations in the Inbox
Conversations with customers who haven’t shared their number work normally: same thread, same history, same 24-hour reply window. Chatbots and automatic replies don’t respond to these customers for now, so your team replies to them from the Inbox, as normal.
When you pick a template in one of these conversations, authentication templates are greyed out with this explanation: “Authentication templates can only be sent to a phone number, and this conversation doesn't have one.”
Opt-outs are kept
If a customer opts out of marketing, Mersal keeps honouring that opt-out, even if WhatsApp later stops sharing their phone number.
If the same person appears twice
A customer might first write without sharing their number and later share it. When Mersal finds two contacts that may be the same person, it suggests a merge for you to review. See “Reviewing and merging duplicate contacts”.
Key takeaways
Contacts without a number show “Phone number not shared” and their @username, never a blank.Search finds contacts by phone number, @username or WhatsApp ID.Your team replies from the Inbox as usual. Chatbots and automatic replies don’t respond to these customers for now.“No WhatsApp ID yet” is expected after the update, and the number goes down as you keep talking to customers.
Frequently asked questions
The customer is reachable on WhatsApp but hasn’t shared a phone number with your business. You can still talk to them on WhatsApp as usual.
No. A WhatsApp ID can’t be turned into a phone number, by Mersal or anyone else.
Hidden numbers are still rare. WhatsApp is rolling them out gradually, so for now the count is usually small. That’s expected.
It’s expected right after the update. The number goes down by itself as you keep talking to your customers. You don’t need to do anything.
Was this helpful?
Still need help?The Mersal team can review your setup and guide you through the next step.
WhatsApp messaging by username has started to reach some customers, so a few may message you without sharing their phone number. Here’s what you’ll see in Mersal, and where.
3 min read·Updated
What you’ll see on the contact
Mersal recognises these customers by their WhatsApp ID, so they appear like any other contact. The phone number is never left blank. Where it would appear, Mersal shows:
“Phone number not shared”The customer’s @username, if they have one
Hover over “Phone number not shared” to see: “This customer is reachable on WhatsApp but has not shared a phone number with your business.”
The count on the Contacts page
The Contacts page shows how many of your contacts are reachable on WhatsApp without a phone number. You’ll see this line, with your own count in place of N:
“N contacts are reachable on WhatsApp without a phone number.”
Hidden numbers are still rare, so for now this number is usually small. That’s expected, and nothing is wrong.
Contacts with no WhatsApp ID yet
The Contacts page also shows a line like this one:
“N contacts have no WhatsApp ID yet. They can only be reached while their phone number works. Any message exchanged with them fixes this.”
Right after the update, N is close to your total number of contacts. That’s expected, not an error. Mersal fills in WhatsApp IDs as customers message you, and over the coming days from your past conversations.
Finding a contact
Contacts search now finds people by any of these:
Phone number@usernameWhatsApp ID
Conversations in the Inbox
Conversations with customers who haven’t shared their number work normally: same thread, same history, same 24-hour reply window. Chatbots and automatic replies don’t respond to these customers for now, so your team replies to them from the Inbox, as normal.
When you pick a template in one of these conversations, authentication templates are greyed out with this explanation: “Authentication templates can only be sent to a phone number, and this conversation doesn't have one.”
Opt-outs are kept
If a customer opts out of marketing, Mersal keeps honouring that opt-out, even if WhatsApp later stops sharing their phone number.
If the same person appears twice
A customer might first write without sharing their number and later share it. When Mersal finds two contacts that may be the same person, it suggests a merge for you to review. See “Reviewing and merging duplicate contacts”.
Key takeaways
Contacts without a number show “Phone number not shared” and their @username, never a blank.Search finds contacts by phone number, @username or WhatsApp ID.Your team replies from the Inbox as usual. Chatbots and automatic replies don’t respond to these customers for now.“No WhatsApp ID yet” is expected after the update, and the number goes down as you keep talking to customers.
Frequently asked questions
The customer is reachable on WhatsApp but hasn’t shared a phone number with your business. You can still talk to them on WhatsApp as usual.
No. A WhatsApp ID can’t be turned into a phone number, by Mersal or anyone else.
Hidden numbers are still rare. WhatsApp is rolling them out gradually, so for now the count is usually small. That’s expected.
It’s expected right after the update. The number goes down by itself as you keep talking to your customers. You don’t need to do anything.
Was this helpful?
Still need help?The Mersal team can review your setup and guide you through the next step.