WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the app store. Everyone has it, and everyone uses it. It’s very functional and simple to use.
Most phone companies even give it preinstalled with their devices based on their popularity.
What began as a messaging app has today evolved into something that can be used for multiple things, but primarily WhatsApp is used for voice calling and video calling to stay in touch with your loved ones.
The common misunderstanding
There is a common misunderstanding that you need to save people’s contacts on your phone in order to message them using WhatsApp. This isn’t true. The most common way to do so is via third-party apps, although this is not advisable.
There is a plethora of third-party apps that can help you send messages to WhatsApp numbers that aren’t saved in your contacts, but these require you to install these apps and give them access to your phone’s information. This is something that most people are not willing to do.
Using third-party apps isn’t advised as it puts your phone’s security at risk. They will be given access to not just your WhatsApp account, but also to your phone’s storage.
One should never compromise the safety of their device. Some of these third-party apps can also ask for permission to work over your OS, which you should never allow.
Another issue with these apps is that they can be incompatible with certain operating systems. Thankfully, there is a safer way to send WhatsApp messages to people without saving their contacts.
The Safe Way
So, how does one send a WhatsApp message without compromising the security of their phone or their contact list? The process to achieve this is very simple and does not require any third-party apps to be downloaded. All you need for this to work is a browser on your phone.
- 1Launch your preferred browsers of choice on your smartphone. Note that this will work with Chrome, Opera, Edge, Firefox, etc.
- 2Copy the following line: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=XXXXXXXXXXX and paste it in the search bar of the launched browser.
- 3Now replace the Xs in the link above with the phone number of the person you wish to send a message to. Make sure to add the country code as well without using the ‘+’ sign. For example, if you want to contact someone living in America with the country code as +1, then the whole line would look like https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=19876543219.
- 4Hit the search button or enter key on your phone’s keypad.
- 5You will be prompted with a message asking if you wish to contact the person via the WhatsApp app. You can click on the ‘Send message’.
- 6You will be redirected to your WhatsApp app with a new window to chat with the person whose number you had just entered.
This is a great way of contacting people or staying in contact with people without having to fill up space in your contact list. This is best done for conversations that do not take place regularly, or for people you wish to connect with for a brief period of time. Make sure not to add any brackets, dashes, or signs to the person’s number.
Only numbers should be after the equal sign, including the country code and the person’s number with whom you wish to connect. If the country code has ‘0’ in it, then leave it out. This has been tested and works well with any Android device or iOS device.
This method does not require you to download any other app and is completely safe. You will be using the standard WhatsApp application to message people.
This will ensure your phone’s safety, as security protocols are not tampered with via a third-party app. You can also use this method to contact anybody living in any county using their country code and number.
Another Option Using a browser
- 1Another much simpler browser option is to copy-paste the following into your browser of choice: https://wa.me//XXXXXXXXXXXX.
- 2Replace the Xs with the country code and person’s phone number
- 3Click enter of search on the search bar, and you will be asked if you wish to message that person using WhatsApp.
- 4You can confirm and send the person a WhatsApp message without having to save the number.
This method is also completely safe and does not require any third-party apps, just like the first one. All you need is a browser and the person’s number and country code. Do not add signs, dashes, or brackets in the number. It should only be the country code followed by the person’s number for this method to work.
How to Send WhatsApp Messages to People Not in Your Contacts
Sending Messages via Siri Shortcut
If you are an Apple user with iOS 12 running on your device, then you can use a Siri Shortcut to send messages to people who are not saved in your contacts using WhatsApp.
- 1You will need to download the Siri Shortcuts app.
- 2You will need to add any shortcut to the app and run it once. This is for users who do not use the app.
- 3Go to Settings>Shortcuts> Allow Untrusted Shortcuts.
- 4Click on this link: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/be22fa0abe644c86baa126ffff2ae3eb
- 5Download it, and it will be added to your shortcuts.
- 6Open your shortcuts app and search for WhatsApp to Non-Contact. You can tap and open it from here or add it to your home screen as a shortcut.
- 7Once you open it, you will be asked to add a recipient’s number.
- 8Once you do it, you can send them a WhatsApp message.
This Can Only be Used for individual chats
This feature will only allow you to have an individual chat with a person. You cannot create a group of people to chat with. You will have to save them and then proceed to make a group chat for them.
Never use third-party apps
One should never use third-party apps to message people using WhatsApp as those apps can easily crack the encryption and steal your data being sent via the messages. The browser link method is the safest and easiest way to perform this task without risking the safety of your phone. Your security protocols will not be overrun or tampered with via this method.
An age old method
Another method many people claim to use to send messages without saving a number is by using your call records.
- 1Dial the number on your phone and call but hang up immediately.
- 2You just want that number to be registered in your call history.
- 3Once that number is registered in your call history, you can easily access it.
- 4Modern WhatsApp makes sure to scan numbers to see if they have a WhatsApp account.
- 5When you see the number you had dialed, you will see an option to reveal more details.
- 6Click on it, and you see will new options that include calling the number back, sending an SMS, and if the number is registered on WhatsApp, a chance to message the number.
- 7Select WhatsApp and send a message to the number without needing to save it.
