WhatsApp is testing a way to let you hide your phone number from other people on the app — a change that could matter a great deal in Pakistan, where 100 million people use WhatsApp every day and send 12 billion messages daily. The new privacy controls were spotted in the Android beta version of the app, and they build on WhatsApp’s username system, which lets people connect without immediately sharing their personal numbers.
The feature was found by the tracker WABetaInfo in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.45.1 and reported on 7 November 2026. It is still under development, so nobody can switch it on yet — not even beta testers — but the screens found in the beta code show exactly how WhatsApp plans to offer the choice.
Four Options for Who Can See Your Number
The new controls will sit in WhatsApp’s Privacy settings, alongside the existing options for profile photos, last seen and online status. The setting will be called “Who can see my phone number in calls and chats”, and it will offer four choices: Everyone, My contacts, My contacts except…, and Nobody.
Everyone is the widest option, showing your number to anyone you talk to. My contacts limits it to people saved in your phone. My contacts except… lets you pick specific contacts to exclude. Nobody hides your number from other users wherever WhatsApp’s privacy system supports it.
The default will be Nobody. That means users who set up a username will not need to change anything to keep their numbers private — the protection will already be switched on. People who do want to share their number, for example for business, can open the setting and loosen it themselves. WhatsApp will ask for confirmation before applying a change, and changing the setting resets any exceptions set earlier.
Only for Accounts With a Username — and One Important Limit
There is a catch: the new controls will only work for accounts that have set up a username. WhatsApp announced usernames in June 2026 as a way to help people connect without exchanging phone numbers, and the feature is still rolling out gradually — although users can already reserve their preferred usernames ahead of the wider rollout.
There is also an important limit users should understand. Hiding a number through these controls does not make an existing number unknown to everyone. People who already know and have saved your phone number will still be able to see it in chats and calls. The controls are mainly about new contacts — people who reach out through your username without already having your number. At present, WhatsApp already hides numbers automatically from people who contact a user through their username and do not have the number saved; the new setting gives users the power to choose for themselves.
What It Means for Users in Pakistan
For Pakistani users, the change would be a practical privacy upgrade. WhatsApp is the country’s default messaging app, used for everything from family groups to business orders, and phone numbers shared in large groups or with strangers can lead to spam calls, unwanted messages and even fraud attempts. A setting that keeps the number hidden by default — while still letting trusted contacts see it — closes one of the easiest ways for strangers to reach you.
There is no confirmed release date yet. The feature remains under development, and WhatsApp is expected to introduce it to beta testers in a future update before making it available to everyone. Until then, users who want the extra privacy should keep an eye out for the username option in their own app — setting one up is the step that will unlock these controls when they arrive.
Sources: https://www.techjuice.pk/whatsapp-to-give-users-more-control-over-phone-number-privacy/ and https://wabetainfo.com/android/
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