How to message a WhatsApp number without adding it as a contact
1 min read
WhatsApp is, hands-down, the most popular messaging platform in the world. With over two billion monthly users, there’s a good chance that any person you might want to reach out to is available on the service. However, despite its popularity, the service lacks one key feature — the ability to message a number without adding them as a contact in your phonebook.
Every so often you might want to reach out to a business or service contact for a one-time chat but adding the number to your phonebook could mean needless clutter. Let’s take a look at a few ways to initiate a WhatsApp chat without adding a phone number as a contact.
QUICK ANSWER
WhatsApp’s wa.me short links can be used to launch a WhatsApp chat conversation without saving a contact. The same short links API is also used by apps like WhatsDirect or Click to chat to seamlessly launch a new chat. On an iPhone, it’s possible to create a shortcut that uses the API to initiate a chat.
Launch a chat from the browser using WhatsApp short links
At first glance, it might appear that WhatsApp provides no way at all to initiate a chat without saving a number. However, the service does, in fact, have the functionality baked in. Presumably designed for integration in websites and apps, WhatsApp’s click to chat feature uses wa.me shortcut links to initiate a chat with any active WhatsApp account.
To make use of the function, simply head over to your browser and type out the address https://wa.me/phonenumber. The phone number field should include the country and region code as well, but no modifiers like + or – or 00. For example, if you’re in India, the syntax would be https://wa.me/919911223344.
Tap enter and WhatsApp will point you to a website with a green message button. Tapping this button will drop you into the chat.
