WhatsApp is the most used messaging application worldwide. Even though it's feature-rich, this Meta-owned application still doesn't have one of the important features, namely starting a chat with a phone number that isn't stored in contacts.
Luckily WhatsApp is developing a solution to this problem. WABetaInfo reports WhatsApp is developing a feature that will allow users to interact with numbers that aren't already stored in contacts.
This feature was found in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.22.8.1. According to a WABetaInfo report, this option has already been rolled out to some beta testers but is not yet available to all users.
From the screenshot uploaded by WABetaInfo, if the user taps the number in the WhatsApp message, a pop-up menu will appear. If the number is linked to a WhatsApp account, three options will appear: start a chat, call, or add the number to a contact.
If the number is not available on WhatsApp, there are only two options that appear, namely calling an unsaved number via the phone application or adding the number to contacts, as quoted from Android Authority, Wednesday (6/4/2022).
This is a pretty big change and really helpful for users. Currently, if a user receives a message containing a phone number and wants to call him, WhatsApp will redirect the user to the default phone app on the phone.
But this solution is still not perfect, because it requires someone else to send the number to the user, or the user sends the unsaved number to another contact.
Since it has entered the beta trial phase, WhatsApp is likely to be rolling out this feature publicly in the near future. But if you are impatient and haven't received this update, there is a shortcut that can be used to call an unsaved number via WhatsApp.
To do this, open a browser on your cellphone or desktop and type wa.me/ followed by the country code and phone number without the + sign in front of it. Examples like this wa.me/62123456789. After pressing the Enter button, the browser will immediately open WhatsApp to start a new chat with that number.
