Brief your sales team: a chat with no number is still a real lead<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nFrequently asked questions<\/h2>\nWhat is a WhatsApp username for business?<\/h3>\n
A WhatsApp username for business is a unique @handle that customers can search to find and message your business, without needing your phone number. It works alongside your business number, not instead of it. Usernames are first-come, first-served, and a reserved username switches on automatically when the feature launches in your country.<\/p>\n
What is BSUID in WhatsApp?<\/h3>\n
BSUID (Business-Scoped User ID) is a unique code of up to 131 characters that WhatsApp assigns to each customer for each business. A customer’s BSUID stays the same for your business over time, which lets you recognise returning customers even when they hide their phone number behind a username.<\/p>\n
Are WhatsApp usernames available in India?<\/h3>\n
No, WhatsApp usernames are not yet available in India. In July 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) asked WhatsApp to pause the India rollout over fraud and impersonation risks. Testing was reported in October 2026, but WhatsApp has not confirmed an India launch date.<\/p>\n
Will I still get my customers’ phone numbers?<\/h3>\n
Yes, businesses will still get phone numbers for most customers. If a customer hasn’t set a username, the WhatsApp Business API sends both their phone number and their BSUID. You may receive only the BSUID when a customer with a username messages your business for the first time.<\/p>\n
Can I send an OTP to a BSUID?<\/h3>\n
No, you cannot send an OTP or verification message to a BSUID alone. Login, payment and verification flows still need the customer’s phone number. If a lead reaches you with only a BSUID, ask them to share their number in the chat before starting these flows.<\/p>\n
Does the BSUID change if a customer changes their username?<\/h3>\n
No, the BSUID does not change when a customer changes or removes their username. Their BSUID with your business stays the same, so their chat history and lead record remain linked in your CRM.<\/p>\n
Get ready before usernames reach India<\/h2>\n
WhatsApp usernames are paused in India for now. But the BSUID is already in your API data.<\/p>\n
Businesses that update their CRM today won’t lose a lead when the hold lifts. Those that wait may face chats with no number and no history.<\/p>\n
The Lucknow agency from the start doesn’t need to panic. It needs three things: a CRM that saves both IDs, a reserved username, and a sales team that knows what a BSUID chat looks like.<\/p>\n
Want a WhatsApp CRM that’s ready for BSUID?<\/strong> Book a free TeamInbox demo<\/a> or call +91 7311155211.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Picture a real estate agency in Gomti Nagar, Lucknow. Its Facebook ads bring in 60 WhatsApp enquiries a day. Every lead is saved by phone number. Then one morning, a new chat arrives with no number at all. Just a long code. The sales team can’t call the lead. The CRM can’t match the chat<\/p>\n
Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":349,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346\/revisions\/349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teaminbox.xyz\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}