Coming soon: WhatsApp usernames and BSUIDs — what you need to know

Raquel Updated by Raquel

WhatsApp is rolling out a major change in 2026: end-users will be able to hide their phone number when messaging businesses, identifying themselves with a username instead (for example, @alice_smith).

To make this work, Meta is introducing a new identifier called the BSUID (Business-Scoped User ID). Over the coming months, BSUIDs will start appearing alongside phone numbers across the WhatsApp Business API — including in turn.io

This article gives you an early heads-up on: what is changing, what stays the same, and what we're working on so the transition is as smooth as possible.

Meta's rollout is ongoing and some pieces are still being enabled on their side. We'll keep this article updated as things evolve.

What is a BSUID?

A BSUID is an opaque identifier that uniquely represents a user within your business portfolio. It looks like this:

US.13491208655302741918
IN.26329079733414951

The format is a country code (ISO 3166 alpha-2) followed by an alphanumeric string.

A few important properties:

  • Portfolio-scoped: the same end-user will have a different BSUID for each business portfolio they message.
  • Stable across username changes: even if a user changes their @username, their BSUID stays the same.
  • Regenerated on phone number change: if a user switches phone numbers, their BSUID is reissued.
  • Always present: BSUIDs are included in every webhook, whether or not the user has chosen to use a username.

What stays the same

Nothing breaks for your existing contacts. Phone numbers remain a first-class identifier in Turn. Every contact you have today will continue to work exactly as before. BSUIDs are added on top — they don't replace what you have.

You'll also still receive the user's phone number in webhooks in many common scenarios, even after they adopt a username.

What is changing in Turn

These changes will be rolled out progressively:

  • Contacts will have new fields
  • Sending messages by BSUID
  • New journey expressions
  • Behaviour change for @contact.whatsapp_id
  • CSV imports and exports
  • Authentication templates
  • BigQuery / data warehouse customers
You don't need to do anything today — we'll provide more concrete migration guidance closer to the rollout.

What you can do today

You don't need to take action yet. But make sure to subscribe to product updates so you don't miss the rollout announcements.

If you have questions in the meantime, reach out to your Turn contact or our support team. We're here to help.

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