Signal on Tuesday announced that username support is rolling out, and if you want it to, it can supplant the need to give out your phone number to new contacts.
The chat app is launching username support in beta first, and when it rolls out widely it will hide your phone number from other people in the Signal app by default unless they already have it stored in their phone’s contacts.
The change to usernames will mean that you can also choose to make it impossible for others to find you on Signal by phone number, which will be an optional setting. If you choose to use that setting, then other people will only be able to contact you on Signal if they have your exact username.
In the announcement, Signal notes that usernames will not fully replace phone numbers in regard to how you set up your account, but it will function as an alternative to giving out that information when starting conversations with others.
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Signal is also adding a QR code option for sharing usernames.
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