Announcing changes to how WhatsApp users are identified

Meta is making significant changes to how WhatsApp users are identified, which will start to take effect from June 30th, 2026 (regional testing), with General Availability planned for August 2026. This article explains what is changing, whether you need to act, and what to do if you do.

What’s changing

Meta is introducing Usernames for WhatsApp users. Any WhatsApp user who opts in will be identified by a Business-Scoped User ID (BSUID) rather than their phone number. This affects how user identity is represented in Zendesk and in the Sunshine Conversations API.

In practical terms:

Users who have enabled a WhatsApp Username will no longer have a phone number on their profile in Zendesk

Existing users in your account will retain their phone number, but new or updated users may not have one

Workflows or integrations that depend on the phone number being present will need to be updated

What do I need to do

Most customers do not need to take any action. Zendesk handles the transition automatically for standard WhatsApp usage.

You need to act if any of the following apply:

You have a custom API integration that reads the externalId field from WhatsApp client objects — this field will contain a BSUID rather than a phone number for all users

You have a Marketplace app or custom integration that sends outbound WhatsApp messages

Any of your workflows depend on a phone number always being present on a WhatsApp contact

You create WhatsApp clients by phone number in your integration

Timeline

June 30, 2026: Meta begins regional testing

August 2026: Meta plans General Availability of WhatsApp Usernames across their Business API

We recommend completing any integration changes before June 30th to allow time for testing.

If you have feedback or questions related to this announcement, visit our community forum where we collect and manage customer product feedback. For general assistance with your Zendesk products, contact Zendesk Customer Support.