WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, with over 2 billion users globally. When signing up for WhatsApp, many users wonder whether they need to provide their email address or phone number. The short answer is that WhatsApp uses your phone number as your unique identifier on the platform.
WhatsApp Account Setup
During initial setup of your WhatsApp account, you are prompted to enter your phone number. This number is then verified through an SMS code sent to your phone. Once verified, your phone number is tied to your WhatsApp account. An email address is optional during signup and is not required to use WhatsApp.
Here is a summary of how WhatsApp account creation works:
- Enter your phone number on the WhatsApp signup page
- WhatsApp sends an SMS with a 6-digit verification code to your phone
- Enter the SMS code on WhatsApp to verify your number
- Your phone number is now your WhatsApp username
- You can optionally add an email address too
So in short, a phone number is mandatory while an email address is optional. Your contacts on WhatsApp will see your phone number as your ID and will not see your email address.
Why WhatsApp Uses Phone Numbers
There are a few key reasons why WhatsApp relies on phone numbers rather than email addresses for user accounts:
- Large user base – Billions of people have mobile phones and phone numbers, but email is less ubiquitous globally.
- Ease of use – Phone numbers are simple to remember and enter compared to email addresses.
- Built-in verification – Phone numbers allow easy verification through automated SMS codes.
- Contact discovery – Users can easily find and connect to contacts who already have WhatsApp.
- Spam reduction – Requiring phone verification minimizes fake and spam accounts.
In addition, using phone numbers allows WhatsApp to tap into a user’s existing address book and social graph based on their contacts. This made it easier for WhatsApp to grow quickly in its early days.
Limitations of Using Phone Numbers
However, there are some limitations to relying solely on phone numbers for WhatsApp accounts:
- No multiple devices – Users cannot use one WhatsApp account simultaneously on multiple devices.
- Privacy concerns – Users may not want to share their personal phone numbers publicly.
- Number change hassle – Users have to update all contacts if they change their phone number.
- Limited use cases – Harder to use WhatsApp for business/commercial purposes without email.
These limitations have pushed WhatsApp to allow linking an email address as well, although the phone number remains the primary identifier. There are also rumors that WhatsApp may eventually allow using one account across multiple devices to improve usability.
Linking an Email Address
While an email address is optional on WhatsApp, there are some benefits to adding one to your account:
- Recovery and reset – Useful if you lose access to your number and need to recover your account.
- WhatsApp Web – Needed to use WhatsApp on your computer browser.
- Two-step verification – Extra security for your account.
- Business use – For using WhatsApp Business API and tools.
Here are the steps to add an email address to your WhatsApp account on Android:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account
- Tap “Add Email Address”
- Enter your email address and tap “OK”
- Confirm the email address by tapping the link sent to your email
And here are the steps for iPhone:
- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account
- Tap “Add Email Address”
- Enter your email and tap “Next”
- Confirm the six-digit code automatically sent to your email
Once added, you can start using your email address to verify your identity when needed and enable additional account security features.
Business Accounts
WhatsApp also offers business accounts called WhatsApp Business. These accounts allow businesses to use WhatsApp for customer service, announcements, appointment booking, and more.
For WhatsApp Business accounts, an email address is required during signup. This allows businesses to use WhatsApp tools like the WhatsApp Business API. The email gives them access to manage conversations at scale across the company.
So in summary:
- Personal WhatsApp accounts need a phone number
- Business WhatsApp accounts require an email address and phone number
The email gives WhatsApp Business accounts extra functionality not available to regular users. Phone numbers are still used for verification and messaging.
Making Calls on WhatsApp
In addition to messaging, WhatsApp also allows making voice and video calls over WiFi or mobile data. For these calls, the app obviously needs access to your phone’s microphone and camera.
On iPhone, you need to explicitly give WhatsApp access to the microphone and camera in the iOS Settings app. But on Android, the app will automatically ask for permission the first time you try to make a call.
Here are some tips for making calls on WhatsApp:
- Check that you and the recipient have a good WiFi or mobile data connection
- For group calls, the group size is limited to 4 participants (soon expanding to 8)
- Outgoing video calls can be toggled to voice-only after connecting
- Calls made over WiFi will not count against mobile plan minutes
WhatsApp calls use end-to-end encryption for voice, video, and screen sharing. This prevents anybody, including WhatsApp itself, from intercepting your calls.
Overall, WhatsApp calls offer a convenient way to conduct encrypted video chats with your contacts around the world for free (data charges may still apply).
Using WhatsApp on Multiple Devices
A current limitation of WhatsApp is that each account can only be used on one device at a time. This is because the app ties the account to your phone number.
So if you log in to WhatsApp on a new phone, it will log you out from the old device automatically. And WhatsApp Web only mirrors conversations from your phone rather than acting as a standalone app.
However, WhatsApp has been developing multi-device capabilities that will allow using one account across multiple phones, tablets, and computers simultaneously. Each device will connect directly to your account rather than relying on the phone.
Multi-device support is already being tested in WhatsApp’s beta program. Full public release is expected by 2022. This will eliminate a major inconvenience for many WhatsApp users.
Conclusion
In summary, WhatsApp relies primarily on your phone number rather than email address for account creation and verification. But email can be added for secondary functions like two-factor authentication and WhatsApp Web. WhatsApp is also working on improvements like multi-device support to make the service more versatile and convenient for users.