WhatsApp Usernames & Business-Scoped User IDs (BSUID): What Businesses Need to Know

WhatsApp is changing one of the assumptions businesses have relied on for years:

A WhatsApp customer doesn't always have to be identified by a phone number.

With the rollout of WhatsApp usernames, users can choose a username that can be displayed instead of their phone number when interacting with businesses.

At the same time, Meta is introducing a new backend identifier called the Business-Scoped User ID, or BSUID.

These two changes are connected, but they solve different problems.

A username is what the user sees.

A BSUID is what the business platform uses to identify that user.

For businesses using the WhatsApp Business Platform, this is more than a privacy feature. It also changes how customer identity should be stored, tracked and handled inside CRMs, inboxes and automation systems.

What Is a WhatsApp Username?

A WhatsApp username is an optional identifier that a WhatsApp user can choose instead of displaying their phone number.

For example, instead of a customer being identified publicly by:

+91XXXXXXXXXX

they could have a username such as:

@teja123

The important part is that usernames are optional for users.

Meta announced that WhatsApp usernames are being rolled out gradually, with the feature expected to become available later in 2026.

Users can reserve a username before the wider launch through WhatsApp when the feature is available to them.

Meta says usernames are designed primarily to give people more privacy when connecting with new people and businesses.

There is also no public directory where businesses can simply browse every available username.

A person generally needs to know the exact username to contact someone for the first time.

[Meta's official announcement on WhatsApp usernames]

WhatsApp Usernames Are Mainly About User Privacy

This is where businesses need to understand an important distinction.

For an individual WhatsApp user, a username can help keep their phone number private when communicating with a business.

That means a customer can interact with a business without necessarily exposing their personal phone number.

For businesses, however, the situation is different.

Meta specifically says that business usernames are not intended to provide phone-number privacy for the business.

So a business should not think:

"I'll create a WhatsApp username and hide my business phone number."

That's not the purpose of the business username feature.

The privacy benefit is primarily about the WhatsApp user.

What Is a Business-Scoped User ID (BSUID)?

BSUID stands for:

Business-Scoped User ID

It is a new identifier that Meta provides to identify a WhatsApp user within a specific business portfolio.

A BSUID is automatically generated by Meta.

It is not something the customer chooses.

It is also not the same as the customer's username.

For example, a BSUID can look similar to:

US.13491208655302741918

The exact value is generated by Meta.

The important part is that the identifier is scoped to the business portfolio.

Why Does WhatsApp Need BSUIDs?

Historically, many WhatsApp business systems assumed:

Customer = Phone Number

That assumption becomes a problem when users can choose to hide their phone number.

Imagine this:

Customer starts a WhatsApp conversation with your business.

↓

Your system identifies the customer using their phone number.

↓

The customer enables a WhatsApp username.

↓

The customer's phone number may no longer be included in certain webhook payloads.

Your CRM still needs to know:

"Is this the same customer?"

That's where BSUID becomes important.

Meta designed BSUID to provide a business-scoped identifier that can continue identifying the user even when the phone number isn't available in the webhook.

Meta's developer documentation explains that BSUIDs are tied to the specific business portfolio and appear in WhatsApp message webhooks.

WhatsApp Username vs BSUID: What's the Difference?

The easiest way to understand them is:

So:

Username = what the customer can use to identify themselves

BSUID = how Meta identifies that customer to a particular business portfolio

What Happens When a Customer Changes Their Username?

Changing a username does not create a completely new customer identity.

Meta's documentation says that changing a user's username does not affect their phone number or BSUID.

That means businesses shouldn't use the username as the primary database identity for a customer.

Instead, the BSUID should be treated as an important identifier alongside the other customer information your system stores.

For example:

Customer record:

Name: Customer A

Username: @customername

BSUID: XX.xxxxxxxxx

Phone number: Available when permitted

The username can change.

The BSUID remains associated with that user for that business portfolio unless the user's phone number changes.

What Happens If the Customer Changes Their Phone Number?

This is another important detail for developers.

Meta says a BSUID is regenerated when a user changes their WhatsApp phone number.

That means businesses should not assume that a BSUID remains unchanged forever.

Your customer-data architecture should be able to handle BSUID changes and update the relationship between the customer record and the new identifier.

This is particularly important for CRM systems, customer journeys and automation platforms.

Can Businesses Message a Customer Using a BSUID?

Yes.

Meta has added support for using BSUIDs when sending messages through the WhatsApp Business Platform.

This means a business doesn't necessarily need the customer's phone number to address a user through the API.

There are some exceptions.

For example, Meta's documentation states that certain authentication templates, including one-tap, zero-tap and copy-code authentication templates, still require the user's phone number.

So BSUID is not a universal replacement for phone numbers in every WhatsApp API operation.

Does Every WhatsApp User Get a BSUID?

BSUIDs are generated for WhatsApp users in relation to a specific business portfolio.

Importantly, the BSUID isn't simply a global WhatsApp customer ID.

The same person can have different BSUIDs when interacting with different business portfolios.

For example:

Customer

↓

Business Portfolio A → BSUID A

Business Portfolio B → BSUID B

This is why the word "business-scoped" matters.

A BSUID belongs to the relationship between a WhatsApp user and a specific business portfolio.

What Does This Mean for CRMs?

This is probably one of the biggest changes businesses need to prepare for.

Many older CRM integrations assume:

Phone number = customer identity

That assumption is becoming less reliable.

A modern WhatsApp CRM should be capable of storing:

• Customer name

• Phone number when available

• WhatsApp username when available

• BSUID

• Conversation history

• Customer journey

• Campaign activity

• Other relevant customer information

The phone number should no longer be treated as the only possible identifier.

What Does This Mean for WhatsApp Webhooks?

This is particularly important for developers.

When users adopt usernames, their phone number may not always appear in WhatsApp webhook payloads.

Instead, businesses should be prepared to receive and store the BSUID.

Meta's documentation says BSUIDs appear in message webhooks regardless of whether the user has enabled a username.

That means developers should update webhook processing logic rather than assuming every incoming WhatsApp contact will always contain a phone number.

Should Businesses Delete Phone Numbers From Their CRM?

No.

BSUID does not mean:

"Delete all customer phone numbers."

Phone numbers can still be available and useful when permitted.

Businesses should instead support both identifiers.

Think of it as:

Phone number = customer information when available

BSUID = business-scoped WhatsApp identity

Username = user-facing identity when available

The correct approach is to build a system that can work with all three.

What Happens to Existing Customers?

Businesses shouldn't assume that every existing contact suddenly becomes a username-only contact.

The rollout is gradual, and existing customer interactions can continue to provide phone-number information under certain conditions.

Meta has also introduced mechanisms designed to preserve conversation continuity as usernames roll out.

The important lesson for businesses isn't to rebuild every customer record overnight.

It's to make sure your systems are ready for contacts where the phone number isn't available.

What Does This Mean for WhatsApp Marketing?

The change could be especially important for marketing platforms.

Imagine a business has:

100,000 WhatsApp contacts.

Historically, its database may have been built around phone numbers.

Now some customers may interact through a username while the business receives a BSUID as the primary business-side identifier.

A marketing platform therefore needs to be able to:

Identify the customer

↓

Store the BSUID

↓

Connect the conversation to the existing customer record

↓

Track campaign activity

↓

Continue the customer journey

↓

Send future messages using the supported identifier

This is why BSUID support isn't just a developer detail.

It can affect the way WhatsApp marketing platforms manage customer identity.

What Does This Mean for Customer Journeys?

Customer journeys shouldn't depend entirely on a phone number.

For example:

Customer sees an advertisement

↓

Starts a WhatsApp conversation

↓

Customer enters a flow

↓

Customer asks a question

↓

Customer leaves the conversation

↓

Business follows up later

Your platform needs to know that every interaction belongs to the same customer.

With BSUID, the business can maintain that identity even when the user's phone number isn't available in the expected way.

This becomes particularly important for platforms managing automation, campaigns, retargeting and customer journeys.

What Businesses Should Do Now

If your business uses the WhatsApp Business Platform, there are a few practical steps worth taking.

Store BSUID Alongside Existing Customer Data

Don't replace your existing customer database.

Add BSUID as another WhatsApp identity field.

Stop Assuming Phone Number Is Always Available

Review your CRM, webhook and automation logic.

Search your codebase for assumptions such as:

"phone number is always present."

That assumption may no longer be safe.

Update Webhook Handling

Make sure your system can process:

• BSUID

• Username

• Phone number when available

Keep Customer Identity Separate From Username

A username can change.

Don't use it as your permanent customer database key.

Test Customer Journeys

Test what happens when:

• A customer has a username

• A phone number is unavailable

• A customer changes their username

• A customer changes their phone number

• A customer already exists in your CRM

The Biggest Change Businesses Should Understand

The most important takeaway isn't:

"WhatsApp is replacing phone numbers."

It isn't.

The better way to understand the change is:

WhatsApp is adding another identity layer.

Previously:

Phone number → customer

Now:

BSUID → WhatsApp user identity within your business portfolio

Phone number → available customer information when applicable

Username → user-facing identity when enabled

This distinction matters because businesses can no longer safely build every WhatsApp integration around the assumption that the phone number will always be present.

Final Thoughts

WhatsApp usernames are primarily a user-facing privacy feature.

BSUID is the technical infrastructure that helps businesses continue identifying and communicating with users when phone numbers may not be available.

For businesses, the important change is not that phone numbers suddenly disappear.

It's that phone numbers should no longer be the only identity your WhatsApp system understands.

If your business uses WhatsApp for campaigns, customer support, automation or CRM workflows, now is a good time to make sure your systems can handle:

Username + BSUID + Phone Number

instead of relying only on:

Phone Number

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a WhatsApp username?

A WhatsApp username is an optional name that a user can choose to display instead of their phone number when connecting with people or businesses on WhatsApp.

What is a BSUID in WhatsApp?

BSUID stands for Business-Scoped User ID. It is a Meta-generated identifier that uniquely identifies a WhatsApp user within a specific business portfolio.

Is a WhatsApp username the same as a BSUID?

No. A username is a user-facing identifier that the user can choose and change. A BSUID is a backend identifier generated by Meta for the relationship between a user and a business portfolio.

Can businesses see a customer's phone number if they use a WhatsApp username?

Not necessarily. When a user adopts a username, their phone number may no longer appear in certain webhook payloads. WhatsApp has introduced BSUID so businesses can still identify the user.

Does a WhatsApp business username hide the business phone number?

No. Meta specifically says business usernames are not intended for privacy and do not cause the business phone number to be hidden.

Can a business send WhatsApp messages using a BSUID?

Yes. Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform supports sending messages using BSUIDs, although some authentication message types still require a phone number.

Does a BSUID change when a customer changes their username?

No. Changing a username does not change the user's BSUID.

Does a BSUID change when a customer changes their phone number?

Yes. Meta says a new BSUID is generated when the user changes their phone number.

Is a BSUID the same for every business?

No. BSUIDs are scoped to a specific business portfolio. The same WhatsApp user can have different BSUIDs for different business portfolios.

What should businesses do to prepare for WhatsApp usernames?

Update your CRM and WhatsApp integrations to store BSUIDs, support usernames, and stop assuming that a customer's phone number will always be present in every webhook or API response.