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WhatsApp Business API Guide

WhatsApp Usernames and Business-Scoped User IDs

WhatsApp is rolling out usernames and privacy-related changes. This is an evolving area, so this article explains what it may mean for your business in general terms — and what Mersal does with the identifiers it receives.

4 min read · Updated

What is changing

WhatsApp is introducing usernames and privacy features, and some customer identities may appear differently depending on Meta’s rollout and API behaviour. This is a gradual change, and the exact experience can vary over time and by region.

Business-scoped user identifiers

In some current or future flows, a business may receive a business-scoped user identifier instead of relying only on a visible phone number. This identifier is specific to your business and how the customer interacts with it.

How Mersal handles identifiers

Mersal stores the available customer identifier safely so you can keep the conversation going. Which identifiers are available can affect what you are able to do next — for example, starting a new outbound campaign to that customer.

What this means for campaigns

Campaign eligibility can depend on what identifiers and opt-ins are available for a given customer. If your business does not have a valid, reachable identifier or an approved method for that person, you may not be able to start a new outbound campaign to them.

This area may change based on Meta updates. We keep a “Last updated” date on this article and avoid making technical guarantees that Meta has not confirmed.

Key takeaways

WhatsApp usernames and privacy changes are rolling out gradually.You may receive a business-scoped identifier instead of only a phone number.Available identifiers and opt-ins can affect campaign eligibility.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on Meta’s rollout and the flow. In some cases you may work with a business-scoped identifier rather than only a visible phone number.

It can. Campaign eligibility depends on the identifiers and opt-ins available for each customer.

No. This is an evolving area; we update this article as Meta’s behaviour becomes clearer.

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