You can open a WhatsApp chat with any number without adding it to your contacts. WhatsApp supports this through its click to chat links: https://wa.me/ followed by the full number in international format. The tool above builds that link from whatever you paste and opens it, so a delivery agent, a plumber from a flyer or a seller on a marketplace is one tap away instead of cluttering your address book.
How to use it on Android
- Copy the number from the SMS, website or call log. Long-press it and choose Copy.
- Open this page in Chrome or any browser. India (+91) is already selected; change the country if the number is from elsewhere.
- Paste the number. A green tick and the formatted number, such as +91 98290 12345, confirm it has the right length.
- Type a first message if you want, for example "Hi, is the 2BHK in Mansarovar still available?".
- Tap Open chat in WhatsApp. Android may ask whether to open the link with WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business; pick the one you want to message from. Press send in WhatsApp.
How to use it on iPhone
- Copy the number, then open this page in Safari.
- Paste the number and add a message if you like.
- Tap Open chat in WhatsApp. WhatsApp usually opens directly; if Safari shows the wa.me page instead, tap its button to continue to the chat.
- The chat opens with your message in the text box. Edit it if needed and tap send.
Tip: add this page to your home screen (Share, then Add to Home Screen) and it works like a small app whenever you need to message an unsaved number.
How to use it on a computer
On a laptop or desktop the tool shows a second button, Open WhatsApp Web, which opens the chat at web.whatsapp.com in a new tab. The green button goes through wa.me, which offers the WhatsApp desktop app as well. Both need your phone to be linked first: in WhatsApp on your phone, open Linked devices and scan the QR code shown by WhatsApp Web or the desktop app.
Typing the number correctly
WhatsApp's help page asks for the number in full international format and says to leave out zeroes, brackets and dashes. You do not have to clean it up yourself. All of these become wa.me/919829012345:
+91 98290 12345(plus sign and spaces removed)098290-12345(leading 0 and dash removed, +91 added from the selected country)0091 9829012345(00 international prefix understood)
If you paste a number that starts with + or 00 and another country's code, the tool follows the code in the number, whatever country is selected, and shows that country next to the green tick. A red message means the digits do not fit that country: one digit too many or too few is the usual cause.
Another way inside WhatsApp: message yourself
WhatsApp lets you chat with yourself (your own name appears at the top of the list when you start a new chat, marked as you). Paste the number into that chat and send it. WhatsApp shows phone numbers in messages as links, and tapping one gives a menu that includes an option to chat with that number. The exact wording varies between app versions, and the method needs a few more taps than a link, but it works without leaving WhatsApp.
Be considerate: the other person sees your number
A chat opened this way is an ordinary WhatsApp chat. The person sees your number, and your name and photo as your privacy settings allow, and they can block or report you like any other sender. Use it for people who expect to hear from you: the seller you are buying from, the electrician who gave you a card, the parent of your child's classmate. Do not use it to send offers to numbers collected from lists or groups. Unwanted messages get numbers reported, and WhatsApp can restrict accounts that are reported often.
When a business should use something else
If you are a business and want customers to message you, do the opposite: share a link to your own number with the WhatsApp link generator, or print it with the WhatsApp QR code generator. When customers write first, a 24-hour customer service window opens for your replies.
If you message dozens of customers a day by hand, from order updates to payment reminders, the WhatsApp Business API is the proper tool. It sends approved message templates to customers who have opted in, lets several people answer from one number in a shared inbox, and Meta charges per delivered template message. The app vs API comparison explains when the switch is worth it.
Source for the link format: WhatsApp Help Center, "How to use click to chat".