How to register a number on whatsapp

How to Add a Contact to WhatsApp

You can add contacts to WhatsApp by manually entering them in Chats, or scanning the QR code from their WhatsApp profile.
You can also import contacts from your phone to WhatsApp.
When entering international contacts, don't forget to start their phone number with a plus sign and then add the international calling code for their country.
This story is a part of Insider's Guide to WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is a surprisingly popular messaging app — many people choose to use it because it's cross-compatible with both iPhone and Android, and it works over WiFi, so you don't need to use your cellular plan.

Want to add a new contact to your WhatsApp address book? You can do that easily in two different ways, depending on whether the other person is nearby. Here's what you need to know.

How to add a contact to WhatsApp

There are two ways to add a contact to WhatsApp — you can manually enter the contact's via the Chats tab, or if your new contact is physically nearby, you can simply scan their information via a QR code.

Via the Chats tab

1. Open the WhatsApp app and go to the Chats tab (it's at the bottom of the screen on iPhone and at the top on Android).

To add a new contact to WhatsApp, start by opening the Chats screen. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

2. On the Chats screen, tap the New Chat button — you'll find it at the top-right on iPhone and at the bottom-right on Android.

Tap the "New Chat" button. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

3. Tap New Contact.

At the top of your contact list, you should see a New Contact link. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

4. Fill in the New Contact form — enter the name and phone number at a minimum, though you can also enter any additional details you like. You can also scan someone's QR code from this page if you wish.

5. When you're done, tap Save.

Via QR code

On the other person's phone:

1. Open the WhatsApp app.

2. Tap Settings.

3. At the top of the Settings page, tap the QR code symbol to the right of the person's name.

Every user has a unique QR code on their profile page in Settings. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

On your phone:

1. Open the WhatsApp app and tap Settings.

2. At the top of the Settings page, tap the QR code symbol to the right of your name.

3. If you have an iPhone, tap Scan at the bottom of the screen. If you have an Android phone, tap Scan Code at the top of the screen.

Tap "Scan" to open the camera and scan someone else's code. Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider

4. Position your phone over the other phone so you can scan the QR code with the front-facing camera. Wait a moment until the phone vibrates — you've now scanned that person's contact information.

5. Tap Add to Contacts.

Adding international contacts

If you need to add a contact with an international phone number, then the process is almost identical to adding an ordinary contact. Follow all the steps in the previous section on manually adding a contact, but keep these special rules in mind:

Start the phone number with a plus sign (+).
Enter the appropriate international calling code for the country in question. If you need to look it up, you can find a complete list of international calling codes on the web.
Enter the phone number immediately after the calling code.

Dave Johnson

Freelance Writer

Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

How to Find and Change Your WhatsApp Phone Number

Not too hard and takes just a few minutes

WhatsApp allows you to easily change the registered phone number while retaining your chat history, call records, and account information. This tutorial will walk you through the entire process on iPhone and Android.

Did you recently change your phone number? If so, it’s a good idea to update your registered WhatsApp number so new contacts can message or call you on the world’s most popular messaging app.

Table of Contents

We’ll show you how to find and change your WhatsApp account number on iPhone and Android, including what it takes to switch WhatsApp numbers on a new phone.

Find the Current Registered Phone Number on WhatsApp

Before changing your mobile number in WhatsApp, you need to find the number currently registered with your WhatsApp account. Skip to the next section if you already know it.

Open WhatsApp and switch to the Settings tab. If you use an Android phone, tap the More icon (three dots) at the top right of the screen and select Settings.
Tap your WhatsApp profile picture at the top of the screen.
Note down the number under Phone Number.

Change the Registered Phone Number in WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s built in Change Number tool makes it incredibly convenient to switch registered phone numbers. It preserves your WhatsApp chats, calls history, and settings, and even auto-notifies WhatsApp group chats and contacts about the number change. Be sure to insert the SIM card into your phone (if you haven’t already) since you must verify the new number over SMS.

Note: If you own multiple phones, you can choose to receive the verification code on another device. However, you can’t have the same phone number registered in WhatsApp on more than a single phone.

Open the WhatsApp Settings screen and tap Account.
Tap Change number.
Tap Next to begin the phone number registration process.

Select your country (iOS) or country code (Android), enter the new and old phone numbers into the relevant fields, and tap Next.
Turn on the switch next to Notify contacts if you want to notify your WhatsApp contacts about the number change. Then, pick between the All contacts, Contacts I have chats with, and Custom options to determine with whom on your contact list you want to share your new number.

Enter the 6-digit security code you receive over SMS or let your phone auto-fill it in for you.
Wait until WhatsApp verifies the code.
Modify your WhatsApp name or change your profile information if you want. Finally, tap Done.

That’s it! You’ve successfully changed your phone number on WhatsApp. You can immediately begin using WhatsApp again, and you’ll continue to have access to your WhatsApp messages and call history from your old number.

Register Number on a New Phone Without Losing WhatsApp Data

Did you get a new number and a new phone? If you still have your old phone around, the following steps will show how to change numbers in WhatsApp and move your chat history over to your new phone. However, they only work if both phones are on the same platform—iOS or Android.

Register the new number in WhatsApp on your old phone. You can choose to receive the verification code on the new phone, meaning you do not have to swap SIMs.
Go to Settings > Chats > Chat Backup and tap Back Up Now to back up your information to iCloud (iOS) or Google Drive (Android). Be sure to turn the switch next to Include Videos if you want to transfer WhatsApp video attachments to the new phone.

Wait until WhatsApp finishes completing the backup. You will not receive a notification, so check this screen after some time before you go ahead.
Install WhatsApp on the new phone and register your new number. You’ll be automatically signed out of WhatsApp on your old phone.
Choose to restore your WhatsApp backup. You will not see this option if you aren’t signed into your new phone with the same Apple ID or Google Account as your old phone.

Wait until the backup restoration process ends. WhatsApp will initially load text messages only and then download data—like images and video files—in the background.
Change your profile photo or name if you want, and you can start using WhatsApp right away.

Suppose the new phone is on a different platform than your old phone. Check our complete guides to moving WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Android or Android to iPhone for step-by-step instructions.

Can’t Change WhatsApp Phone Number? Here’s What You Must Do

Despite how straightforward it is to change phone numbers on WhatsApp, there are instances where the registration process will fail to work on iPhone and Android.

For example, if you fail to receive your WhatsApp security code or the Change Number tool gets stuck at verification, here are several things you might want to do:

Check the old and new phone number for accuracy, and don’t forget to set the country codes for both numbers.
Contact your carrier and confirm that the new number can receive text messages and phone calls.
Make sure you’re in an area with strong cellular signals or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Toggle Airplane Mode off, and then on to resolve minor connectivity issues.
Update WhatsApp to its latest version via the App Store or the Play Store to fix known problems with the Change Number feature.
Restart your iPhone or Android device.

A New Start With Your Old Chats

Changing your phone number on WhatsApp is not complicated, and you should be done in minutes. You don’t even need to bother notifying contacts about the number change since WhatsApp does the heavy lifting for you.

Also, unless you’re switching platforms, it’s easy to move your chat history if you want to use WhatsApp with a new number and a new phone. If you’re still contemplating switching phone numbers, go ahead without worrying.

';document.getElementsByClassName("post-ad-top")[0].outerHTML='';tocEl.outerHTML=tocHTML+newHTML;}}catch(e){console.log(e)}

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn't hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube. Read Dilum's Full Bio

Subscribe on YouTube!

Did you enjoy this tip? If so, check out our very own YouTube channel where we cover Windows, Mac, software, and apps, and have a bunch of troubleshooting tips and how-to videos. Click the button below to subscribe!

Why can't I register on WhatsApp with this number?

Errors during registration in the messenger happen quite often, and since only a phone number is needed to successfully complete this process, the main problems lie in it. There can be many reasons, we will try to stipulate them all. Today you will learn why you cannot register on WhatsApp with this number and how to solve this problem. nine0003

If you are faced with the fact that you cannot access WhatsApp from your phone, read our other article.

Possible problems with the number in Watsap

If you wanted to register in the messenger, but faced some obstacles, there may be several reasons for this. So, possible problems with the number in watsap:

Perhaps an account has already been registered for this number. If someone used your SIM card before you, it may have already participated in the registration. nine0014
Problems accessing the service. It may also be that the WhatsApp servers are simply unavailable at the moment. In this case, it remains only to wait.
Error in the work of the messenger itself. It might be worth reinstalling it to fix the problem.
You may not have received a confirmation code on your phone, or you didn't notice it.
Old operating system. Whatsapp developers are gradually abandoning legacy platforms, so registering from them can be very problematic. nine0014

Re-registration

If you inherited your SIM or you just got it from someone, the previous owner may have already registered with WhatsApp. In this case, re-registration in the service is not possible. In principle, in no case is it possible if an account for this number has already been registered. If you are unable to delete your old account, then you need to wait. Inactive accounts are automatically deleted after 45 days. Or try to contact WhatsApp support, explain the situation to them and hope that they will help. nine0003

Application errors

It is possible that the problem lies in the messenger itself. Perhaps you downloaded an out-of-date version, or you simply experienced some temporary application errors. In this case, it is recommended to either update or reinstall the program.

You can download the latest version of WhatsApp from our website.

Number confirmation

You will not be able to register in whatsapp without number confirmation. To do this, you need to enter into the application the code that will come to your phone via SMS. If the code does not come, try the following:

Change the date and time settings to automatic detection.
Restart your phone.
Please try again.

If this doesn't help and you still don't have the code, use the "Call" function. Then the robot will call you and dictate the code.

Outdated OS

Back in 2017, WhatsApp developers officially stopped supporting mobile phones running on outdated OS.

List of unsupported mobile platforms:

Windows Phone 7
iOS 6 and below
Android 2.2 and older
BlackBerryOS
Symbian

In this case, there is nothing left but to switch to a more modern mobile gadget.

So you have found out why you can't register on WhatsApp with this phone number, and how to fix it.

download whatsapp

WhatsApp registration with virtual phone number

How to create an account on WhatsApp?

Whatsapp is a very popular messenger now. It allows users to exchange text messages, photos, various kinds of files, as well as make video and audio calls.

Don't want to read the text instructions? We offer you in the video with the registration process:

Whatsapp messenger features

Whatsapp is a free platform application. It is used not only by private users, but also by students, freelancers, small businesses and large companies. nine0003

The interface is intuitive, and the absence of everything superfluous in this application is very popular with many people. You can use the program through a computer by going to the official website. There is also a web version that allows you to actively communicate through such a messenger on mobile devices.

In order to start using such a program, you need to know how to register with WhatsApp. The login when registering on Whatsapp is the subscriber's phone number. This allows you to automatically synchronize the messenger with contacts on your phone. nine0003

However, many people think that using their number on Whatsapp is not safe. That is why the best way to hide it is to acquire a virtual contact for WhatsApp. This method will allow you to simultaneously register many accounts in one service. After all, buying SIM cards for this is expensive and unprofitable.

Instructions for creating a WhatsApp account

WhatsApp virtual number is the simplest and most unique tool that allows you to link it to the account of this social network. Upon registration, you will receive an SMS confirming verification. nine0003

In order to register a Whatsapp account using a virtual number, just follow the steps below.

Step 1. Creating an onlinesim.ru profile and topping up your account balance

replenish the balance after registration (to do this, click on the “Payment” button on the left panel). The whole process will not take long, you do not even need to confirm your email. nine0101

Step 2.

Now you need to choose the number of which country you would like to use

Step 3. After selecting the Whatsapp social network and country, you need to click "Buy a number"

A little hint: if you cannot find the service you need, use the search box - it will be much faster and easier. If you cannot find the service, and in this case, select “Other sites”, then the issued number will receive messages from all services that are not prohibited (the list of prohibited senders can be viewed on the main page, as a rule, they include banks, payment systems and MFIs). nine0101

After that, in the section "All operations" on the right side, a number will appear, which will be used when registering an account.

Step 4. Entering a virtual number in the WA mobile application

Open the application on your mobile phone and click “Accept and continue” in the welcome window.

Next, a window will open where you can select a country and enter a phone number to which an SMS with a confirmation code will be sent. Please note that the selected country of the number in the application must match the country you selected in step 2. Enter the received number in the application and click “Next”,

the application will ask you to check the phone number, click "OK". By the way, if you still make a mistake when entering a phone number at this stage - do not worry, you can change it later.

Step 4. Receiving an SMS with an activation code and completing registration in WhatsApp

We return to the page where we received the number and wait for the confirmation code to arrive (usually it takes just a few seconds).

Enter the received code in the mobile application,

literally in a couple of seconds you will be automatically redirected to a page where you can enter your profile name.

After that, it will be possible to fully use both the stationary and mobile version of WhatsApp. To do this, it is enough to read the QR code with a mobile phone.

Service for purchasing a virtual number for WhatsApp

Virtual numbers are often used for private registration on various services, websites, instant messengers and applications. You can purchase such virtual contacts from Onlinesim. There are over 30 countries and 10,000 rooms to choose from. nine0003

Only one user uses this virtual number. Long-term and short-term rental of a telephone number is possible. For those who are not sure if this works and if this option is really effective, testing of our services is available using a free virtual number. However, it is important to understand that in this case a public number is provided, which has already been used by someone somewhere, and it is used by the client only once.

You can buy a virtual number for a short period of time (minutes, hours) or for a long-term lease (from days to infinity). The cost of the number for receiving SMS messages and SMS activation varies depending on the rental period and the possibility of its extension, the selected country.