How to add a contact on Whatsapp

Whataspp asks to access your phone’s contacts. If you allow the app access to this information, it becomes much easier for you to send messages to any one of your contacts however, you can still use Whatsapp without giving it access to your contacts. You can add a contact on Whatsapp directly. The method is the same on iPhone and an Android phone however, the app interface is a bit different so we’ve detailed the process for both separately.

Add a contact on Whatsapp – iPhone

Open Whatsapp and tap the new chat button at the top right. You will have to select a recipient for your chat message and the New Chat screen basically opens to your contacts. At the top, there’s an option to add a New Contact. Tap it.

To add a contact on Whatsapp, you really only need a phone number. If you know for a fact that a person uses Whatsapp, make sure you have the correct number that is connected to their Whatsapp account. Enter it in the number field, and give the contact a name you will recognize them by (hint: use their real name). Once you’re done, tap Save.

If the number you’ve entered is not connected to a Whatsapp account, you will see an ‘Invite to Whatsapp’ option appear on the Contact Details page.

Add a contact on Whatsapp – Android

Open Whatsapp and tap the floating new chat button at the bottom right. You will be taken to the Select Contact screen where you can select a recipient(s) for your message(s). At the top, there’s an option called ‘New Contact’. Tap it.

Enter a name and a phone number for the person you want to message over Whatsapp. On Android, you can choose where to save the contact. If you save it to your device, it will be added to your device’s contacts. If you choose to save it to the app, it won’t be added to your device’s contacts. Once you enter the number, tap Save. If the number is not associated with a Whatsapp account, you will see an option to invite the user to Whatsapp.

On both iOS and Android, you can add additional information for a contact in Whatsapp. This can include, but is not limited to a home address, a second phone number, and their email. Generally, if the person you’ve added is also using Whatsapp, their profile picture will sync to your contacts list however, you can edit it on your own device to something else. The user will not know you changed it and the change will not sync to their device.