With billions of monthly active users, you’d think WhatsApp would make reaching out to new contacts easy. However, that’s not the case. There’s no easy way to message someone on the platform if you have not stored their number in your phonebook. This is especially an issue when you just need to message someone for a brief time or a specific task. There are workarounds to send WhatsApp messages to an unsaved contact, but they are not as straightforward and involve using a third-party app. WhatsApp is finally addressing this problem and making it notably easier to initiate a chat with unknown numbers.
The next time you have to message an unknown number on WhatsApp, start a new chat on the platform. Then, type the number in the search bar. A Chat button will appear next to it, letting you start a conversation with that person without going through the hassle of storing their number in your phone.
WABetaInfo reports the feature is already live on the latest WhatsApp build for iPhone and Android. I can use the Chat button on my Galaxy S23 Ultra, but the option is not available on WhatsApp’s desktop app. Nonetheless, with this small new addition, you can now reach out to new businesses or people on WhatsApp without storing their numbers and cluttering your phonebook.
The Meta-owned messaging service has also been spotted working on @username support. Once that arrives, chatting with new contacts on the platform will become even easier without knowing their phone number.
If the Chat option does not appear for you in WhatsApp, update to the latest build from the Play Store. This is a server-side rollout from Meta though, so the feature may take a while to show up if it is not already there.
Source By: androidpolice
