WhatsApp users need to save a number to their contacts before sending a message through the app. However, there is a workaround to avoid this.
WhatsApp users need to create a new contact for every number they want to message, but there is a workaround to send messages to unsaved numbers. Having to save a number to contacts can be annoying and unnecessary, especially if a user just needs to send a single message to someone they don’t need to communicate with in the future. Sending a WhatsApp message to a number that’s not in the contacts can also protect user privacy. This is because the recipient cannot see the user’s profile picture, status, or any privacy settings assigned only to contacts.
Although it’s not the most feature-rich, WhatsApp is the world’s most popular instant messaging service. The Meta-owned app has been actively launching new features, including message reactions, disappearing messages and the ability to use WhatsApp Web without a phone being connected to the internet. In addition, WhatsApp is one of the safer messaging apps since it supports end-to-end encryption.
There’s a universal method to send WhatsApp messages to an unsaved contact that works seamlessly on any device and relies on WhatsApp’s wa.me links. Users can easily create a link on their own and use it to start a conversation on any WhatsApp platform. The URL for a wa.me link is always https://wa.me/<number>. To text an unsaved number, users need to paste the link into the address bar of a web browser, modifying it to add the recipient’s phone number at the end. WhatsApp says the number should be a complete phone number in the international format, without any brackets, dashes, plus signs, or leading zeros. After opening the modified URL, a ‘Continue to Chat‘ button will appear on the same web page. Clicking on it will directly open a WhatsApp conversation with the number in the link. Users can use this method to create a link for themselves or share it with others.
Other Ways To Message An Unsaved WhatsApp Contact
While WhatsApp’s wa.me method is foolproof, modifying a link manually can be a bit tedious. The good news is that Android users can download several third-party apps to do the same job. This type of app doesn’t do anything different, apart from making it as simple as entering a phone number and country code and then opening the link in WhatsApp. The Click to Chat app is the most straightforward tool to use, and it comes without ads or in-app purchases. In addition, the user interface is pretty easy. It lets the user just type the number and open the chat on WhatsApp.
For iPhone users, the easiest way to send a WhatsApp message to an unsaved number is by using the WhatsApp To Non-Contact shortcut. This shortcut allows iPhone users to initiate conversations with any number by just typing it. To start using this shortcut, users first need to install and launch the shortcut. Then, they will have to type the number in the ‘Recipient’ field or copy and paste it to start a conversation. It’s also worth noting that all these options will let users choose between WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business if they have both apps installed.
