WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to easily chat with friends, family and even new contacts you want to connect with. Starting a chat with a new contact on WhatsApp is quick and simple. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.
Get the Contact’s Phone Number
The first step is to get the phone number of the person you want to chat with on WhatsApp. There are a few ways to get someone’s number:
- Ask them directly for their number
- Get their number from a mutual friend
- Search their phone number in your contacts if you have it saved
- Find their phone number through a business website or directory
WhatsApp requires a phone number to create an account. So you need the person’s phone number in order to chat with them. Make sure you get the correct country code as well when getting their phone number.
Make Sure They Use WhatsApp
Before taking the next steps to start a chat, it’s a good idea to confirm that the person actually uses WhatsApp. If they don’t use it or don’t have it installed on their phone, you won’t be able to chat with them.
Here are some ways to find out if they’re on WhatsApp:
- Ask them directly if they use WhatsApp and have it on their phone
- Check their social media profiles for any indicators that they use WhatsApp (e.g. WhatsApp number listed in bio)
- Ask mutual connections if they know whether the person uses WhatsApp
This will prevent you from wasting time trying to chat with someone who can’t receive WhatsApp messages.
Save Their Number in Your Phone’s Contacts
Once you’ve obtained the phone number of the new contact, the next step is to save the number in your phone’s contacts. This allows WhatsApp to access the number and connect you to that contact.
Here are the steps to save a new number on an iPhone:
- Open the Phone app and tap Contacts
- Tap the + icon in the top right to create a new contact
- Enter their name and phone number
- Tap Done to save the new contact
And on an Android phone:
- Open the Contacts app
- Tap the menu icon and select “New contact”
- Enter their name and phone number
- Tap Save to add the contact
Make sure to double check that you entered the phone number correctly before saving the contact.
Open WhatsApp and Tap the Calls Tab
Once you’ve added the new contact to your phone’s address book, open the WhatsApp app. On the home screen, tap on the Calls tab at the top.
This will open your contacts list in WhatsApp. From here, you can start a new chat with any contact that uses WhatsApp.
Tap the New Chat Button
At the top right of the calls screen, you’ll see a button that says “New Chat”. Tap this button to start creating a new chat.
This will open your contacts list within WhatsApp. You should be able to see the new contact you recently added.
Select the Contact
Scroll through your contacts list and tap on the new contact you want to start a chat with. This will open a new chat window with their name at the top.
Once you select them, you are ready to start chatting!
Type and Send Your First Message
With the new chat window open, you can now send your first message to this contact. Tap in the text field at the bottom where it says “Type a message”.
Type out whatever you want to say to them for your first message. It could be a simple “Hi” or “Hey” to start. Or you can introduce yourself and start a conversation.
Once you’ve typed out your message, tap the send arrow icon on the right to deliver it. This will send your message through WhatsApp to the contact.
And that’s it! You’ve successfully started a brand new WhatsApp chat with your contact. You’ll see when they read your message and you can continue to chat.
Starting Group Chats
WhatsApp also allows you to chat with multiple people at once in group conversations. Here’s how to start a group chat with new contacts:
- Tap the New Chat button
- Tap the New Group button at the top
- Give the group a name at the top
- Tap the contacts you want to add to the group
- Tap the checkmark at the bottom to create the group
- Type your first message and hit send!
This will let you message all members of the group chat together.
Video and Voice Calls
In addition to messaging, you can also make voice and video calls to WhatsApp contacts. This allows you to communicate in real-time with your new contacts.
To make a voice call:
- Open the chat with the contact
- Tap the phone icon in the top right
- Confirm the call when prompted
To make a video call:
- Open the chat with the contact
- Tap the camera icon in the top right
- Confirm the call when prompted
The video or voice call will connect you with the contact live. This is useful for having conversations in real-time rather than just messaging back and forth.
Useful WhatsApp Features
WhatsApp has tons of useful features to enhance your messaging experience:
- Media Sharing – Send photos, videos, audio, documents, and other media to contacts.
- Status Updates – Share text, photos, and videos that disappear after 24 hours as your status.
- Voicemails – Record and send voice messages like voicemails.
- Read Receipts – See when your messages are read by the recipient.
- Typing Indicators – See when contacts are typing to you in real-time.
Explore all of WhatsApp’s features to get the most out of the app and enhance your chats!
Troubleshooting Issues
Sometimes you may encounter issues when starting a new WhatsApp chat. Here are solutions for some common problems:
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Can’t find the contact’s phone number | Ask them directly for their number or find it through a directory if available |
| The contact doesn’t use WhatsApp | Encourage them to download WhatsApp so you can chat |
| Can’t start a new chat with the contact | Make sure you entered their phone number correctly and they have an active WhatsApp account |
| Your messages to the contact won’t send | Check your internet connection. Turn your phone’s airplane mode on and off again |
If any other issues come up, you can search WhatsApp support or contact their team for troubleshooting help.
Conclusion
Starting a WhatsApp chat with a new contact is quick and easy on both iPhones and Android phones. Just get their phone number, save it to your contacts, open WhatsApp, select their name, type your message, and hit send.
With its wide range of messaging, calling, and media sharing capabilities, WhatsApp makes it simple to stay in touch with new contacts. Follow this guide to easily start conversations and build connections.