WhatsApp to start a new chat

January 29, 2024

If you want to talk to a new contact on WhatsApp, you need their phone number. There’s no other way around it. WhatsApp doesn’t have a central online directory of usernames as Skype does, so you can’t look up a stranger in your WhatsApp app. Assuming you have their phone number and they use the app, how do you find someone on WhatsApp? Or how can you persuade someone to give you their number and become a new WhatsApp user?

QUICK ANSWER

To find someone on WhatsApp, start a new conversation. This will bring up a list of all the people in your device’s phone book who also have WhatsApp number (assuming you already have their number listed in your device’s phone book). Or if they give you their mobile number, add it to your device’s phone book, refresh WhatsApp, and it will instantly show up if they have a WhatsApp account.