How to Add Contacts to Your Phone via WhatsApp

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Easy ways to add a contact on WhatsApp
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Are you expanding your social circle and adding a new contact or two on WhatsApp? Then you’ve come to the right place, because this article will teach you how to add contacts using WhatsApp—and even sync them with your phone if you want to update your address book app, too. While you won’t be able to chat with contacts who don’t have WhatsApp installed on their devices, you can also use our step-by-step guide to invite them to use the app! Read on to learn more.

Quick Guide to Adding Contacts On WhatsApp

  • Tap the speech bubble icon on Android and select New contact to add a contact to WhatsApp.
  • Tap the circular icon with a + on the iOS app and select New contact to add a contact to WhatsApp.
  • Open a WhatsApp chat with an unsaved number and tap the â‹® icon (Android) or the number atop your screen (iOS) to add it to your contacts.
Section 1 of 7:

Adding a WhatsApp Contact On an Android

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  1. You’ll find this icon in the bottom right corner of the screen in the Chats tab once you open WhatsApp. If the app opens to a conversation, tap ← in the top left corner of the screen to go back to the Chats tab before looking for the speech bubble. [1]
    • You’ll need to set up WhatsApp if it’s your first time opening it.
  2. It's at the top of your Contacts menu next to an icon that resembles a person. Doing so will take you to the new contact creation page. [2]
    • If asked to select an app, tap the Contacts app and tap Always.
    • If you have multiple Google accounts on your phone, select the one you want to add a contact to.
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  3. Enter their name in the "First Name" and "Last "Name" fields near the top of the screen. Then, tap the "Phone" field (located beneath the "Organization" field) and type in your new contact’s phone number. [3]
    • If the number is from a different country, you may need to add a country code (e.g., "1" for the U.S. or "44" for the U.K.) in addition to the standard 10 digits.
  4. It's in the top right corner of the screen. Doing so will save the contact’s information in WhatsApp, and you’ll be able to contact them from within the app. If you want to sync this contact with your phone's Contacts app, you can also tap the Sync contact to phone option. [4]
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Section 2 of 7:

Adding a WhatsApp Contact On an iPhone

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  1. To change this permission in your iPhone, complete the following steps: [5]
    • Tap on Settings.
    • Scroll to the bottom of your apps list and tap WhatsApp .
    • Toggle the switch to the On positionacross from Contacts .
  2. The Chats tab is at the bottom of the screen; if you open the app to a conversation, just tap the back button in the top left corner of the screen to get to the correct tab. [6]
    • If this is your first time opening WhatsApp on your phone, you'll need to set up WhatsApp first.
  3. 3
    Tap the + (plus sign) button → New Contact . You’ll see a green circular button with a white + in the middle at the top right corner of your screen. Tap on it; then, a new menu will appear. Select the New contact option near the top of the page below the Search bar. This will open a new contact page. [7]
  4. Type their name into the fields labeled "First name" and "Last name." Then, type their phone number into the Mobile field. If you need to change the contact’s country code, tap the name of the country (in the Phone field above) and select the correct country from the list of options. [8]
  5. 5
    Tap Done to save the contact. It’s in the upper right corner of the screen. Doing this saves the person’s information to your WhatsApp contacts, allowing you to chat with them within the app. If you want to add them as a contact in your iPhone’s Contacts app, toggle the Sync contact to phone switch on before tapping Done . [9]
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Section 3 of 7:

Adding a WhatsApp Contact From a Chat

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  1. Before doing this, make sure WhatsApp has access to your contacts! On the chats tab, look for the chat with the contact you want to save. [10]
  2. Keep in mind that the chat will show their phone number instead of their name since they aren’t in your WhatsApp contacts yet. When you tap on the chat, it’ll open up your existing messages with this person.
  3. On an Android, you’ll see the More icon, which looks like three vertical dots ( â‹® ). On an iPhone, just tap the contact’s phone number instead.
  4. 4
    Tap Add to contacts → Create new contact . On an iPhone, you’ll just see " Create New " (instead of "Create new contact"). After that, you can view the contact information that the app will save and make any adjustments if needed.
  5. 5
    Tap Save on Android or Done on an iPhone. This will save that user’s information to your WhatsApp contacts. Additionally, if you want to add them to your phone’s Contacts app, be sure to enable the Sync contact to phone option (which will appear on both Android and iPhone).
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Section 4 of 7:

Adding WhatsApp Contacts From Group Chats

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  1. 1
    Open the group with the contact and tap their profile photo. In the Chats tab of WhatsApp, scroll until you find the group chat containing the person you want to add to your contacts list and tap on it to open it. Then, just look for a message that the person sent and tap on their photo icon, which will appear next to their message. [11]
  2. 2
    Tap "Save" (Android) or "Create New Contact" (iPhone). Based on the type of phone you have, you’ll either see the Save or Create New Contact option. Either way, once selecting the correct option, you’ll see a page with the WhatsApp user’s contact info filled out, which you can tweak if needed.
  3. 3
    Tap "Save" (Android) or "Done" (iPhone). Once you’ve entered any necessary contact details and looked over the existing information, look for the Save or Done option and select it. This will save the contact’s information in WhatsApp. If you also want to add the contact to your phone’s address book, enable the Sync contact to phone option.
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Section 5 of 7:

Inviting a Contact to WhatsApp On an Android

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  1. You’ll see the More icon (which looks like a triple-dot symbol) at the top right corner of your screen. [12]
    • If WhatsApp opens to a conversation, tap ← in the top left corner of the screen first.
  2. It's at the bottom of the drop-down menu that’ll appear after tapping the â‹® icon.
  3. It's located at the bottom of the Settings menu. [13]
  4. Scroll through your list of contacts to find the person you want to invite to WhatsApp. Any names that appear here are non-WhatsApp users from your Android's Contacts app; if you don’t want to scroll through them all, you can use the search bar at the top of the screen for a specific contact. [14]
  5. Tapping a contact's name will automatically open a text conversation with them. WhatsApp will provide you with a pre-written message and a unique invitation link. Edit this message as you see fit, and send it to your contact to invite them to WhatsApp! [15]
    • You may only send one invitation at a time.
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Section 6 of 7:

Inviting a Contact to WhatsApp On an iPhone

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  1. You’ll see this tab in the bottom right corner of your screen. If WhatsApp opens directly into a conversation, tap the back button in the top left corner of the screen first.
  2. You'll find this option at the bottom of the Settings menu screen. [16]
  3. It's in the middle of the pop-up window here.
  4. You may have to scroll down to find it. You can use the search bar at the top of the screen to look for a specific contact if you’d rather not scroll.
    • The names in this list are non-WhatsApp users from your contacts.
  5. This option is in the bottom right corner of the screen. Doing so will open a New Message window with a link to WhatsApp.
    • If you tap more than one name, you'll see Send [Number] Invites instead.
  6. It's the green or blue icon on the right side of the text window near the bottom of the screen. Doing so will send an invite to your selected person (or people); if they download and join WhatsApp, you'll be able to contact them through the app. [17]
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Section 7 of 7:

FAQs About WhatsApp Contacts

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  1. 1
    How do you find contacts on WhatsApp? In the Chats tab, find the search bar at the top of your screen and tap on it. Then, enter the contact’s name or phone number to find them quickly!
  2. 2
    What should you do if you can’t find a contact? First, ensure the person you’re looking for is using WhatsApp. If they aren’t, you can find them under the Invite to WhatsApp heading instead of general contacts. Also, make sure you’ve changed your phone’s Settings to give WhatsApp access to your existing contacts—and that you’ve saved this contact in your phone’s Contacts app or address book.
  3. 3
    Can you share contacts with other people or groups? Yes, you can! Open the chat you want to share the contact in. On an Android, tap the paper clip icon; on an iPhone, tap the + icon instead. Then, tap Contact and select the contact you want to share. Finally, tap → followed by the Send icon (which looks like a paper airplane) on Android, or Next > Send on iPhone to share the contact.
  4. 4
    Can you add a contact to WhatsApp without them knowing? WhatsApp won’t send your contacts a notification when you add them. They’ll only know if they see you in their contacts list (which will happen if they have your number saved in WhatsApp) or if you start a chat with them. So, they won’t necessarily know when you add them.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How do you add personal friends in Whatsapp?
    Community Answer
    Add your friend's Whatsapp number to your Contacts. When you next open Whatsapp, just go to Contacts and you'll be able to contact your friend.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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    Not Helpful 30 Helpful 23
  • Question
    Can I add a contact if I only have the person's name?
    Community Answer
    No, you would also need the person's phone number, since it is linked to his or her WhatsApp account. When you put their number in your list, they will automatically appear among your WhatsApp contacts.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 9 Helpful 9
  • Question
    How do I add the number of a person in a group without adding them in my contacts?
    Community Answer
    You can't, you have to add them to your contacts first.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://youtu.be/Z_pHSbSyq9Y?t=24
      2. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=android
      3. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=android
      4. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=android
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/Z_pHSbSyq9Y?t=8
      6. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=iphone
      7. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=iphone
      8. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=iphone
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/Z_pHSbSyq9Y?t=8
      1. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=android&helpref=platform_switcher
      2. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/5472030609512325/?cms_platform=android&helpref=platform_switcher
      3. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/1183494482518500/?cms_platform=android
      4. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/1183494482518500/?cms_platform=android
      5. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/1183494482518500/?cms_platform=android
      6. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-add-a-contact-in-whatsapp/
      7. ↑ https://faq.whatsapp.com/1183494482518500/?cms_platform=android
      8. ↑ https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-to-add-a-contact-in-whatsapp/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Open WhatsApp.
      2. Tap the Chats tab.
      3. Tap the New Chat icon.
      4. Tap New Contact .
      5. Type a name for the new contact.
      6. Add their phone number.
      7. Tap Save .
      8. Tap Done .

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