If you want to send a WhatsApp message to a person who is not stored in your phone’s address book, you’ll have to make use of a little workaround, as WhatsApp by default only allows you to send messages to saved contacts. This guide will walk you through the process.

  1. Open any web browser on your smartphone - this could be Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or any other browser you regularly use.

  2. Type the following URL: https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=number

  3. Replace the word ’number’ with the full phone number (including the country code) of the person you want to send a message to. For example, if the person you’re messaging lives in the United States and their phone number is 1234567890, you should type https://api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=11234567890.

  4. Press Enter or tap Go to navigate to the URL.

  5. This will open a WhatsApp page with a green message button.

  6. Tap the message button, and a conversation with the specified number will open in your WhatsApp app. You can now type your message and hit send.

  7. If the entered number isn’t using WhatsApp, you will be notified.

This method allows you to send WhatsApp messages without saving contacts on your phone. It is particularly useful for sending one-time messages or when you’re trying not to clutter your address book with numbers you’ll rarely use.

Remember though, unchanged privacy settings in WhatsApp means those with your number can check your Last Seen, Status, About and Profile Picture. If you don’t want this, make sure you update your privacy settings within the WhatsApp application.

And that’s it! Now you know how to send WhatsApp messages to someone not in your contact list. Happy messaging!