Summary
WhatsApp is introducing a Username feature that lets users hide their phone number when interacting with businesses. Starting June 2026, some customers may choose to protect their privacy by showing only a username instead of their phone number.
To ensure your business communications remain uninterrupted, Wati has updated its system to support Meta's new BSUID (Business-Scoped User ID) identifier.
This article explains what changes for you and how to continue messaging customers seamlessly.
Instructions
What's changing in Wati
Contact Management:
WhatsApp contacts can now exist without a phone number
BSUID (a unique identifier) is stored automatically when contacts message you
Duplicate contacts are merged when a phone number becomes available later
You can export your contacts with the new BSUID field
Manual import still requires a phone number
Note: Currently, BSUID-only contacts are not synced because of limitations in external CRM systems. To support future compatibility, we recommend optionally storing the BSUID as a custom field in your CRM.
Broadcast & Campaigns:
Send campaigns to both phone-number contacts and BSUID-only contacts
When sending, Wati ensures messages only go to contacts reachable by your selected WhatsApp number
Note: Wati mobile app users must update to version 3.43.0 or above to support the BSUID change. If the app is not updated, some conversations may not appear in the inbox.
Team Inbox:
See the contact's display name, WhatsApp username, or BSUID when phone number is hidden
Continue handling calls for privacy-protected users
Automation:
Workflows now work with contacts who have no phone number (BSUID only)
Actions requiring phone number (like SMS/RCS fallback) will skip BSUID-only contacts
CTWA Ads:
Click-to-WhatsApp flows continue working even when a user's phone number is hidden
What's not changing
Your existing phone-number-based workflows continue working
You can still send campaigns using phone numbers
Billing remains consistent - country code is derived from BSUID prefix
Important Limitations
Message Type | BSUID-Only Contacts |
Regular messages | ✅ Supported |
Authentication templates (one-tap, zero-tap, copy code) | ❌ Not supported |
Why? These templates require a phone number for delivery.
SMS/RCS Fallback: Not available for BSUID-only contacts because fallback requires a phone number.
How to solve this
Use Request Contact Info button in Utility/Marketing templates. This feature allows businesses to request a customer’s phone number using Request Contact Info button in Utility and Marketing WhatsApp templates. When a customer shares their contact information, Wati will receive and automatically map it to the corresponding BSUID contact in the CRM.
Note: The Request Contact Info button is not supported in Authentication templates.
What you should know: The 30-Day window
When a user enables username protection, Meta provides their phone number only during active conversations. If there's no interaction for 30 consecutive days, Meta may stop returning the phone number.
Wati protects you: The moment Wati captures a phone number during an active conversation, it's permanently saved to your contact record - even if Meta's window expires later.
Re-identification: If a "hidden" user contacts you again after 30 days of silence, Wati uses BSUID to automatically re-link their messages to the original contact profile.
How to prepare for the BSUID change
Integrate the new identifier early - Update your internal systems and workflows to support the new identifier so messaging continues to work smoothly after usernames are introduced.
Update your integrations - If connected platforms such as Shopify, HubSpot, or Salesforce currently rely only on phone numbers as identifiers, verify whether they support BSUID.
Review workflows that depend on phone numbers - Audit your automations, integrations, and connected systems to identify areas that may be affected when phone numbers are unavailable.
Update chatbots and automation flows - If your workflows require phone numbers, configure your chatbots to proactively ask users to share their phone numbers when needed.
Review authentication templates - If you use one-tap or zero-tap authentication flows, plan alternative messaging strategies for users who choose to hide their phone numbers.
Verify contact exports - Check that BSUID is included in your exported contact data.
Webhook support for BSUID change
The BSUID-supported webhooks follow a BSUID-first contract. In these webhooks,
bsuid is always included and should be used as the primary identifier for the user.
The waId (phone number) is optional and may not be present in all webhook payloads.
To ensure compatibility with users who choose to hide their phone number, your integration should identify and track users using bsuid instead of relying on phone numbers.
The following webhooks support BSUID:
Message Received (BSUID)
New Contact Message (BSUID)
Session Message Sent (BSUID)
Session Message Sent v2 (BSUID)
Template Message Sent (BSUID)
Template Message Sent v2 (BSUID)
Chatbot Triggered (BSUID)
CTA Button Clicked (BSUID)
Call Status (BSUID)
To learn more about BSUID-supported webhooks, refer to our developer documentation.
Quick Reference
Scenario | Phone Number Available | BSUID Only |
Send campaign | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
SMS/RCS fallback | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Auth templates | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Search contact | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Automation triggers | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
WhatsApp calling | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Why number masking is different from WhatsApp Usernames and BSUID
WhatsApp Usernames and Number Masking solve different privacy challenges and can work together.
WhatsApp Usernames and BSUID
Controlled by the customer.
Applies only when a customer chooses to use a WhatsApp username instead of sharing their phone number.
In those cases, the business may receive a BSUID instead of the customer's phone number.
If the customer later chooses to share their phone number, the business can still access and store it.
Existing contacts that already have phone numbers are not affected.
Number Masking
Controlled by the business.
Applies to phone numbers that already exist in your Wati account.
Prevents selected operators from viewing customer phone numbers inside Wati.
Helps businesses restrict access to sensitive customer data, regardless of how the phone number was originally collected.
Example
A customer may:
Message your business using a WhatsApp username and initially keep their phone number private.
Later share their phone number during a conversation, order process, support request, or lead qualification flow.
Once the phone number is available in Wati, Number Masking determines whether your operators can view that phone number.
For this reason, WhatsApp Usernames do not replace Number Masking. Usernames control whether a phone number is initially shared with a business, while Number Masking controls who within the business can see phone numbers that are already available.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
1. What is BSUID?
BSUID (Business-Scoped User ID) is a unique identifier provided by Meta for WhatsApp users. Wati automatically stores the BSUID when a customer messages your business and uses it to identify contacts even when their phone number is hidden.
2. Can a WhatsApp contact exist without a phone number in Wati?
Yes. Wati supports contacts that only have a BSUID and no phone number.
Messaging and Contact Management
3. Can I send campaigns to contacts that only have a BSUID?
Yes. Wati supports sending campaigns to both phone-number contacts and BSUID-only contacts.
4. Can I manually import contacts using only a BSUID?
No. Manual contact imports still require a phone number.
5. Can I send authentication templates to BSUID-only contacts?
No. Authentication templates, including one-tap, zero-tap, and copy-code templates, require a phone number and are not supported for BSUID-only contacts.
6. How can I collect a phone number from a BSUID-only contact?
You can use the Request Contact Info button in Utility or Marketing WhatsApp templates. When the customer shares their contact information, Wati automatically maps the phone number to the existing BSUID contact.
Inbox, Automation, and Integrations
7. Can automation workflows work with BSUID-only contacts?
Yes. Wati automation workflows support contacts that only have a BSUID. However, actions that require a phone number, such as SMS or RCS fallback, are skipped for BSUID-only contacts.
8. Which identifier should integrations use for WhatsApp Username support?
Integrations should use bsuid as the primary identifier because phone numbers may not always be available. The waId (phone number) field is optional and may not be present in all webhook payloads.
Privacy and Number Masking
9. What is the difference between WhatsApp Usernames and Number Masking?
WhatsApp Usernames are controlled by the customer and determine whether a phone number is initially shared with a business. Number Masking is controlled by the business and determines whether operators can view phone numbers that already exist in Wati.
10. What happens if a customer with a hidden phone number contacts my business again after 30 days?
If a customer contacts your business again after 30 days of inactivity, Wati uses the customer's BSUID to automatically reconnect the new messages to the original contact profile. If Wati previously captured the customer's phone number during an active conversation, that phone number remains stored in the contact record.