Naven
Answers
Can you make a group chat without phone numbers?
Yes, but not on WhatsApp, Telegram or Signal, all of which identify accounts by phone number. Platforms that identify people by email address or username — Naven, Discord, Slack — let you build a group without anybody exchanging a number.
The distinction matters most for groups of people who are not close friends: a neighbourhood association, a parents' committee, a club, a study group. Adding somebody to a WhatsApp group hands their phone number to every other member, including the ones they have never met, and there is no way to undo it afterwards.
On a platform that uses email addresses, the same group costs nothing personal. Members see a name, and the address is not on display.
Naven adds people either by an email address you already have or by picking from conversations you already have. No phone number is involved in either direction, at sign-up or afterwards.