Disclaimer: Please note that all timelines and geographic rollout details regarding the launch of WhatsApp Usernames and BSUIDs are managed exclusively by Meta. The dates provided below are based on Meta’s current roadmap and are subject to change at their discretion. LivePerson will continue to monitor these developments and will keep our community updated as new information becomes available.
As Meta continues to prioritize consumer privacy, WhatsApp is moving toward a Username-first model. Later in 2026, WhatsApp users will have the option to set a username and communicate with businesses without sharing their personal phone numbers.
To support this transition, Meta is introducing the Business-scoped User ID (BSUID), a unique identifier tied to the relationship between a specific user and your brand. LivePerson is committed to ensuring this shift is seamless for your agents, your automation, and your customer history.
LivePerson Continuity Plan
We understand that maintaining a continuous conversation history is critical. To protect your data, LivePerson is implementing a two-phase strategy:
- Phase 1 — Mapping (April – June 2026): Our systems will run a background "Registry" to link BSUIDs to existing phone numbers for active users. This happens silently and requires no action from you.
- Phase 2 — The Switch (July 2026): We will officially adopt the BSUID as the primary identifier. To preserve history, our system will perform a "Mapping Fallback": if a returning user was captured in our Phase 1 Registry, we will keep them on their phone-based ConsumerID to ensure their chat history remains connected.
If a returning user was last active before our mapping window began in April 2026, we will not have a link on file. In these cases, their next message will start a "fresh" thread under their new BSUID without historical continuity. However, no data is lost in this process; all historical transcripts remain fully searchable and accessible in the Conversational Cloud under the user's original phone-based ID.
Technical Specifications:
To provide a clear path for your technical teams, we have consolidated the structural changes to identifiers and Shared Data Entries (SDEs) below. Starting in July 2026, the following logic will apply:
Data Point | Field/SDE | Update Details |
|---|
Primary Identifier | consumerID
| Remains as the phone-based ID for all users in the Mapping Registry. Changes from a phone number to the BSUID format for new or unmapped users: whatsapp_<account_id>_<BSUID>. This string can be up to 128 characters. |
WhatsApp Username | accountName SDE
| If a user has set a username, it will be captured here (e.g., @Alex_Smith ). |
Phone Number | personalInfo/imei SDE
| This becomes optional. It will only be populated if the user shares it via their privacy settings or if it was captured during our Mapping Phase. |
Reporting APIs | Messaging Interactions API | All exports and API responses will reflect the new BSUID-based consumerID. |
Handling Hidden Phone Numbers
While Meta limits phone numbers visibility, your brand may still need them for verification or order fulfillment. To support this, LivePerson is integrating Meta’s new Interactive Contact Request feature.
- Native Request Button: Bots and agents will be able to send an interactive message containing a Request Contact Info button.
- Seamless Sharing: When a user taps the button, their phone number is shared directly into the chat thread, allowing your systems to capture it and continue the workflow without friction.
Outbound and Marketing Continuity
It is important to note that proactive messaging and Click-to-WhatsApp (C2M) ads are unaffected. These triggers will continue to utilize the customer’s phone number. Our system performs a "Dual-ID Check" to ensure that outbound messages correctly land in existing BSUID threads whenever a mapping exists.
Action Items for Brands
While there is no immediate action required for the Conversational Cloud UI, we recommend the following for your technical teams:
- Audit Bot Logic: Ensure your bot scripts do not "hardcode" or "strip" phone numbers from the consumerID.
- Database Readiness: Verify that your CRM and reporting databases are configured to store 128-character BSUID strings.
- API Review: If you use the Messaging Interactions API for custom dashboards, update your filters to handle both legacy phone formats and the new BSUID strings. If your systems retrieve entire conversation objects or account-level interactions without filtering by a specific ID, no changes to your current integration logic are required.
For further technical details, please refer to the Official Meta Developer Documentation. We are here to support you through this transition, please reach out to your Account Team with any questions!