Most tradies hand out their mobile number a dozen times a day. It goes on the van, the quote, the invoice, the Google listing, and into every job group chat that never quite dies. WhatsApp is finally giving you another option.
At the end of June, WhatsApp opened username reservations to its three billion odd users, Australians included. The feature itself is not switched on yet, but the reservation window is open, and that is the bit worth acting on today. Once usernames go live, customers will be able to message you with a handle like @yourbusiness instead of a phone number, and they will be able to do it without handing over their own number either.
Here is what it means for your trades business, how to lock in your handle before someone else does, and how it connects to the WhatsApp chat button already sitting in your Google Business Profile.
Why WhatsApp Opened Reservations Early
With more than three billion people on the platform, a lot of names are going to overlap. Rather than flick the switch and let it turn into a free-for-all, WhatsApp is letting everyone reserve first and use later. Reserve now, and nobody else can claim that handle when the feature launches.
For a trades business, that matters more than it does for most people. Handles like "sydneyelectrical" or "brisbaneplumbing" are exactly the sort of thing that will disappear in the first week. So will your business name, if a competitor, a copycat, or an outright scammer decides they want it.
What Usernames Actually Do
The short version: a username keeps your phone number private. Once yours is switched on, your number stops being visible to anyone who does not already have it saved in their contacts, and that covers calls as well as messages.
Here is the part most people miss. It is not only about new enquiries. Switching on a username pulls your number out of existing conversations too, as long as the other person never saved it. The bloke you quoted eight months ago and never heard from again will see @yourbusiness where your mobile used to be, and the chat carries on as normal.
Your username always shows with an @ in front of it, so nobody gets confused between your handle, your display name, and your number.
A few things are worth understanding before you get too excited:
- There is no directory. Nobody can browse usernames or get your handle suggested to them. They need to know your exact username to reach you.
- Anyone who has saved your number keeps seeing it. Your regulars, your suppliers, and your apprentice carry on exactly as before.
- Your phone number still sits behind your account. WhatsApp still needs it to register and log in.
- It is optional and reversible. Delete your username and people can see your phone number again.
- Changing or deleting your handle can release it for someone else to claim, so pick one you can live with.
There is also an optional username key, a short code that first-time contacts need to enter before they can message you. If you plan to put your handle on your ute, your website, and your socials, that extra layer is worth switching on.
Four Reasons Tradies Should Care
Your personal mobile stops doing the rounds. Most tradies run the business off the same number their kids' school uses, and once that number is out there, it is out there. Every tyre kicker, every one-off job, and every group chat from a site you finished two years ago has it. A username puts a layer between your actual number and the general public, for calls as well as messages.
It is easier to remember and share. "Message us at @northshoreplumbing" reads a lot better on a truck, a business card, or a Google Business Profile post than ten digits a customer has to type carefully. Handles are easier to say out loud too, whether that is on a radio spot or across a noisy job site. You can also generate a QR code or a link that points straight at your username, which is made for a sticker on the van, the back of a quote, and the footer of your website.
Your customers get privacy as well. Plenty of people hesitate before handing their mobile number to a business they have never used. That hesitation costs you enquiries. Taking the step away lowers the barrier for someone who is only just starting to shop around for a quote.
Your branding finally lines up. If you already have an Instagram or Facebook handle, WhatsApp lets businesses and creators claim the matching username, verified through Meta's Accounts Center. The same handle across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp is one less thing for a customer to get wrong.
How To Reserve Yours
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version from the App Store or Google Play. Reservations are mobile only, so you cannot do this from WhatsApp Web or desktop.
- Open WhatsApp and head to Settings.
- Tap Account, then Username.
- Type in the handle you want and check that it is available. If it is taken, WhatsApp's generator will suggest alternatives.
- Save it.
That is the whole job, and it takes about a minute. If you cannot see the Username option yet, you are not doing anything wrong. WhatsApp is rolling this out gradually and will notify you in the app when it reaches you, so keep an eye out.
The Naming Rules
Your username needs to:
- Sit between 3 and 35 characters
- Use only lowercase letters, numbers, full stops, and underscores
- Contain at least one letter, with a letter as the first character
- Avoid starting with "www." or ending in a domain like ".com" or ".net"
- Avoid two full stops in a row
- Be unclaimed across Meta's platforms
That last rule catches people out. If someone already holds your preferred handle on Instagram or Facebook, you cannot take it on WhatsApp. Handles that impersonate a real business or public figure are blocked as well, and a batch of names has been set aside to stop impersonation of well known organisations.
Picking A Good One
Keep it simple. The test is whether a customer could type it from memory after seeing it once on the side of your ute.
- Start with your exact business name
- If that is gone, add your suburb, region, or trade rather than random numbers
- Skip the extra full stops and underscores unless you genuinely need them
- Match your existing Instagram or Facebook handle if you already have one worth keeping
Where This Meets Your Google Business Profile
Here is the part that matters most for local search, and the reason a WhatsApp update is worth your attention in the first place.
Google Business Profile already has WhatsApp built into it. If your profile is claimed and verified, you can add a chat option to your contact information, giving customers a direct way to message you from your listing so you can answer questions in real time and get them through the door.
Now think about who actually taps that button. It is someone who found you on Google Maps twenty minutes ago and has never met you. They do not have your number saved, and you do not have theirs. That is exactly the situation usernames were built for, which makes your Business Profile chat button and your WhatsApp handle two halves of the same job.
To set it up:
- Open your Business Profile, click Edit profile, then Contact.
- Next to "Chat", select the edit pencil.
- Open the "Chat" dropdown and choose WhatsApp or Text message.
- Add your WhatsApp click to chat URL, or a phone number that can receive texts.
- Save.
Three things to know before you do:
- Chat is only available in selected regions, so it may not have reached your profile yet. Check before you build a campaign around it.
- If you add both WhatsApp and text message, customers will only be shown the text message option. Choose one.
- Running several profiles across different service areas? They can all point at the same WhatsApp link.
Then measure it. Chat activity shows up in your Business Profile performance metrics, so you can see whether that button is actually earning its spot next to your phone number. Full instructions are in Google's help article on chatting with customers from your Business Profile.
What Happens Next
Reserving is step one. When usernames switch on properly in Australia, your handle becomes another contact point that has to stay consistent everywhere your business appears: your website, your Business Profile, your quotes, your invoices, your signage, and your social media links. Mismatched business details across your listings is one of the quietest ways local businesses leak ranking and enquiries, and a brand new contact method is exactly the sort of thing that gets updated in two places and forgotten in six.
It is also worth watching how the two systems line up. WhatsApp click to chat links have always been built around a phone number, and WhatsApp now lets you generate a link that points at your username instead. Whether that username link is accepted in the Business Profile chat field once the feature goes live is the thing to test on day one, because it decides whether your listing can send people to a handle or still has to send them to your mobile.
In the meantime, announce it. A Business Profile post telling customers they can now reach you at @yourbusiness is free, takes two minutes, and puts your new handle in front of the people already searching for your trade in your suburb.
Want the full detail from the source? Read WhatsApp's announcement and the official Help Centre article.
Ready to supercharge your Google Business Profile? Over 500 tradies already trust Tradius to manage and optimise their profiles. Book a 15-minute discovery call today!