How to start a new chat on whatsapp


How to Add Someone on WhatsApp in 4 Simple Steps

WhatsApp is a communication platform that allows users to call, text and video chat through an internet connection as opposed to their regular cell phone service.

People use WhatsApp to communicate with people who live in other countries. If you have a partner, family member, or friend living abroad, this app makes it possible to affordably communicate anywhere you have a wifi connection.

It could also be used as part of your internal communication plan if your organization has locations around the world. 

Steps to add someone on WhatsApp

  1. Open "chats"
  2. Begin a new chat
  3. Create a new contact
  4. Message your friend

To communicate with those people, however, they have to be friends with you on the app. Read this article to learn how to add friends on WhatsApp so you can stay in touch for the long term.

You add someone on WhatsApp in the same way you add them to your phone contacts: by creating a new contact for them with their phone number.

Yes, that’s right: in order to add someone on WhatsApp, you have to have their phone number. Let’s dive into the details.

1. Open up “Chats”

Make sure you have WhatsApp downloaded and have created your account. In order to begin talking with people, open up the “Chats” window.

2. Begin a new chat

To begin a new chat, click on the icon on the top right corner of the screen. 

Tip: If you already have someone’s contact information, and they already have a WhatsApp profile, you don’t need to worry about adding them! You can simply click on their name and open a new chat.


Otherwise, you’ll have to add people manually. Begin by selecting “New Contact.” 

3. Create a new contact

Add all of the contact information for that person. Keep in mind that if they are in a different country, you will have to enter that in their contact information. Different countries have different country codes which help determine where to send your correspondence.  

4. Message your friend

Once you’ve saved their contact information, you’re ready to chat. Simply search their name in your contacts list, click on their name, and a new chat window appears. You can begin texting or calling them just as would over the phone! 

Now you know what’s up

Now that you know how to add new friends, you’re ready to get chattin’ with anyone, anywhere. Have fun, and tell ‘em I said hi!

Grace Pinegar

Grace Pinegar is a lifelong storyteller with an extensive background in various forms such as acting, journalism, improv, research, and content marketing. She was raised in Texas, educated in Missouri, worked in Chicago, and is now a proud New Yorker. (she/her/hers)

How to find someone on WhatsApp to start a new chat

If you want to talk to a new contact on WhatsApp, you need their phone number. There’s no other way around it. WhatsApp doesn’t have a central online directory of usernames as Skype does. You can’t search for a stranger in your WhatsApp app. You need to have their phone number to start a conversation (and even then, they may not even be WhatsApp users.)

So, assuming you have their phone number, how do you start a new conversation with them? Or how can you persuade someone to give you their number and become a new WhatsApp user?

Read more: How to use WhatsApp — a step-by-step beginner’s guide

QUICK ANSWER

To find someone on WhatsApp, start a new conversation. This will bring up a list of all the people in your device's phone book who also have WhatsApp accounts (assuming you already have their number listed in your device's phone book). Or if they give you their mobile number, add it to your device's phone book, refresh WhatsApp, and it will instantly show up if they have a WhatsApp account too.


JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

How to find someone on WhatsApp (Android and iPhone)

The following tips apply equally to both Android and iPhone. The only difference, of course, is that the iOS interface is a slightly different design. But it’s all still in the same place.

If this is a new contact, make sure their phone number is first added to your Google Contacts app (or your iOS Contacts app), along with the proper international and local dialing code. If you don’t know the dialing code for a particular country, you can find it here. Now restart your WhatsApp app and begin a new conversation in Chats. This will bring up all your contacts who have registered their phone number to a WhatsApp account.

If you have hundreds of contacts, you can quickly narrow the search by looking for them with the search function.

You can also add a contact manually to WhatsApp without adding them first to your device contacts app. Just start a new conversation, and in your WhatsApp contact list, you’ll see an option called New contact.

Mark O'Neill / Android Authority

Tapping on it, you can now add the person’s contact details. But again, you need their phone number.

Once you’ve found the contact you want in your list, tap on them, and begin your conversation.

How to find someone on WhatsApp without adding/saving a number

Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

What if you want to have a one-off discussion with someone on WhatsApp? Maybe with a business associate or someone you’re not likely to talk to a second time? You may decide in that instance that you don’t want to go to all the bother of adding them to your contact book. In that case, we have previously covered sending someone a WhatsApp message without saving the number first.

What if the contact doesn’t have WhatsApp yet?

WhatsApp has an “invite a friend” function to give someone a link to install WhatsApp. When their account is made, they need to tell you the account has been set up — WhatsApp doesn’t notify you. When you invite them to WhatsApp, all the person receives is a direct download link to the app.

In your WhatsApp contact list, at the top, select Invite a friend.

A prewritten message will appear with a copy button and several messaging possibilities. Just choose one and send it off.

FAQs

No, not unless they know your phone number. So keep it secret from those you don’t know. If you need a WhatsApp for your business, get a different number.

Likely because they are also in your device’s contacts app. Remove the person from there (or, at the very least, their phone number), and they should then disappear from WhatsApp.

How to create a chat in WhatsApp?

How to add a contact to a WhatsApp chat

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