Summary
The phone number masking feature in Wati allows admins to control whether team members can view customer phone numbers in the Team Inbox. This helps protect customer privacy while still allowing the right team members to access contact details when necessary.
For example, support agents may not need to see customer phone numbers, while sales representatives may require access to follow up with customers.
This guide explains how phone number masking works and how admins can enable it for specific users.
Note: Phone number masking is available only on the Wati's Business plan.
Instructions
How phone number masking works
Admins can control phone number visibility through User Management.
When the setting Hide contact details from user is enabled for a user:
Customer phone numbers appear masked in the Team Inbox
The user can still handle conversations normally
Sensitive contact details remain hidden
By default, this setting is disabled for all users.
How masked numbers appear in Team Inbox
When phone number masking is enabled, users will only see:
The first 3 digits
The last 4 digits
The remaining digits will be hidden.
This masking applies across several areas in the Team Inbox.
1. Team Inbox chat view
In the conversation window:
The phone number is masked in the contact information
Any system messages displaying phone numbers will also appear masked
2. Starting a new chat
When users start a new conversation:
The contact’s phone number will appear in masked format when selecting the contact.
3. Searching for chats
Users can still search for conversations using the last 4 digits of the phone number.
This ensures agents can locate chats without viewing the full phone number.
4. Quick replies and template messages
If a quick reply or template message uses the attribute: {{phone}}
The phone number will appear masked in the user interface.
Enable phone number masking for a user
Follow these steps to enable phone number masking.
Log in to your Wati account.
Navigate to User Management.
Select an existing user or create a new one.
Enable Hide contact details from user in the user settings.
Click Save.
Once enabled, the user will only see masked customer phone numbers in the Team Inbox.
Phone number masking helps businesses maintain customer privacy and data security while still allowing teams to manage conversations efficiently in Wati.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Phone number masking in Wati
1. What is phone number masking in Wati?
Phone number masking in Wati allows admins to control whether team members can view customer phone numbers in the Team Inbox. When masking is enabled, customer phone numbers are partially hidden to protect customer privacy while still allowing users to manage conversations.
2. Who can use the phone number masking feature in Wati?
The phone number masking feature is available only to users on Wati’s Business plan.
3. How does phone number masking affect users in the Team Inbox?
When phone number masking is enabled for a user, customer phone numbers appear in a masked format in the Team Inbox. The user can still handle conversations normally, but the full phone number remains hidden.
4. How are phone numbers displayed when masking is enabled?
When phone number masking is enabled, users can only see the first 3 digits and the last 4 digits of the phone number. The digits in between are hidden.
Where masked numbers appear
5. Where do masked phone numbers appear in the Team Inbox?
Masked phone numbers appear in several areas of the Team Inbox, including:
The chat view in the conversation window
The contact selection screen when starting a new chat
System messages that display phone numbers
6. Can users search for chats if phone numbers are masked?
Yes. Users can search for conversations using the last 4 digits of the phone number, even when phone number masking is enabled.
7. How are phone numbers displayed in quick replies or template messages when masking is enabled?
If a quick reply or template message uses the {{phone}} attribute, the phone number appears in a masked format in the user interface.
Enabling phone number masking
8. How can admins enable phone number masking for a user in Wati?
To enable phone number masking for a user:
Log in to the Wati account.
Navigate to User Management.
Select an existing user or create a new one.
Enable Hide contact details from user in the user settings.
Click Save.
After this setting is enabled, the user will only see masked customer phone numbers in the Team Inbox.