WhatsApp makes it easy to message numbers that are not saved in your contacts

WhatsApp voice note to text pause record

WhatsApp has been on a tear lately, adding exciting feature after exciting feature. Yes, dear Telegram user, your favourite app got these features much earlier but we don’t really care. They are coming to the people’s app and we’re excited.

We’ve seen fancy new features like the ability to send images and videos in their original quality or the ability to share our screens during video calls but this latest feature could be my favourite of all. WhatsApp is making it easier to message unsaved contacts. Halleluyah.

I have a lot of phone numbers saved in my contacts that I only ever texted once. I knew I would only text them that one time when I saved the numbers but WhatsApp made it so I had to save those numbers.

There were workarounds to this but none of those solutions appealed to me. Some involved installing a third-party app and I wasn’t keen on that. The other solution was using WhatsApp’s own click-to-chat API but that’s too complex for an individual just trying to find out if a seller still has an item in stock.

Looks like I don’t have to worry about that anymore. WhatsApp has made it easy to initiate chats with unsaved numbers now.

Messaging unsaved numbers

All you have to do is start a chat by tapping on the floating message bubble on Android or the little pencil-on-paper icon in the top right on iOS. Where it says Search name or number, just type in the number you want to message and WhatsApp will search for that number both in your contacts and outside.

If the number is registered on WhatsApp but not in your contacts, WhatsApp will show you a result clearly labelled ‘Not in your contacts‘ and will give you the option to chat with that number.

Here is an example of what you’ll see. In this one, I was looking to chat with the Zimbabwe Republic Police:

Quite a simple feature and yet it took more than a decade for us to get it. It’s here now and that’s all that matters, I guess.

I think WhatsApp has matured as a messaging app and most of the features we are getting are just refinements. I’m all for it.

Also read:

Threads daily users drop by 50%, time spent in the app falls by 71%, not quite the Twitter killer huh?

WhatsApp rolling out screen-sharing during video calls feature – taking on Zoom now?

25 comments

  1. Max

    With Gb Whatsapp, we’ve been this feature for the past 2½ years 😂😂😂

    1. Drupe

      You got be careful because Whatsapp is banning accounts like nobody’s business it’s because they are saying the mods are not sanctioned by the company so it’s actually a fraud using it

  2. King Adoe 🤴🏼

    That’s a great addition, sometime back I downloaded WhatsApp tools so that I’ll get that feature

    1. Imi Vanhu Musadaro

      It hasn’t matured over the years, it has started TRYING keep up.

  3. S. K.

    Okayish. Inini I am actually looking forward to WhatsApp including a feature which allows me to disable everyones status, so that I will not view any statuses.

    Not being unsociable. I call it “Minding my own business Pro Max”

    1. King Adoe 🤴🏼

      We’re on the same side but I want it for data saving purposes

      1. Adalaadala

        True saving data I have a tendency of opening statuses

        1. Chitubu

          Ndukutoshandisa gb kuti ndisaone ma status evanhu,you can actually remove the status tab completely, kuita kunge ukushandisa yekudhara, the craziest thing about the version im using is i can actually update it from the playstore

          1. Adalaadala

            How do you do this chitubu

            1. Chitubu

              Ukanotamba nezvima settings zve gb ririko setting racho ndakariwana ikoko my using yakanzi FM Whatsapp

    2. King Matt

      Not being unsociable but being unsociable😂😂

  4. Bounty hunter

    Funny zvinhu zvakaitwa long back…. Watsapp yu nid to wake up

  5. Cyber Ghost

    I would love that feature as well,but currently you can “mute” statuses,It has helped me

    1. S. K.

      Hahaha good for you. At least you are able to ignore the muted statuses.

  6. Cyber Ghost

    It’s great that WhatsApp is adding these features to the “people’s App”,much appreciated and the more reason why I’ll never use those dubious…. “WhatsApp GB,FM WhatsApp”,I personally think that their interfaces are pathetic and their sources unscrupulous

    1. XCLR8OR

      Maaan , what are you talking about? They literally have the same interface

  7. Cyber-Tron

    Cant wait for group moderating features and message pinning
    Also bot features just like Tg

    1. Drupe

      Me too kkkk

  8. yawn ok

    nothing new here , yawn what a load of bollox

    1. Drupe

      Me too kkkk

  9. Miiz

    “Yes, dear Telegram user, your favourite app got these features much earlier but we don’t really care. They are coming to the people’s app and we’re excited.”

    The fact still is Telegram is way better than Whatsapp even if it doesn’t have cheaper bundle options like Whatsapp. IMHO is a more better productivity app not only for chatting but school, meetings etc. Don’t wish to argue about this but yea its good the feature has come to Whatsapp, other things I dislike about Whatsapp lack of useful features, its cutting off its app from older OSes which is on one of my devices (that sucks) plus the annoying pop up to accept privacy policy what what (which I haven’t done).

    I guess in the end it depends on user preference, affordability of bundles etc.

    1. meki

      Tepeiwo tech news

  10. Dfg

    Tech is moving slowly….tech zim last seen July..haaaa….cmon guys..tech zim is like a detox to pindula

  11. Sarfaraz

    Sarfaraz

  12. raheel jan

    Hello please call auto

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