How do I add contacts to WhatsApp for iPhone?

WhatsApp will pull all of the contacts in your phone's address book to the Contacts list. All of your contacts that have WhatsApp will appear in your Favorites list. To add contacts, you must share your iPhone's Contacts with WhatsApp in iPhone Settings > Privacy > Contacts.

How to add a contact

To add a contact manually:

  1. Go to WhatsApp > Contacts.
  2. Tap the (+) button.
  3. Enter the person's information and tap Done.

Alternatively, if you are contacted by someone in WhatsApp who is not stored in your address book, you will have the option to tap Add to Contacts. If someone sends you a vCard, you can add that contact directly by tapping Add to Contacts on the vCard.

If a WhatsApp user does not appear in Favorites

If you are adding an international contact, make sure their phone number is saved in the international format:

  • +[Country Code][Full Phone Number]
  • Be sure to omit any leading 0's from the number.
  • For detailed information on how to add an international contact, you can read more here.

Once you have verified the number is in the correct format, try refreshing your Favorites:

  1. Open WhatsApp.
  2. Tap Favorites at the bottom.
  3. Scroll all the way to the top of the list, then pull down the list to refresh the Favorites.

This will sort your Favorites alphabetically, as well as restore any deleted Favorites.

Learn how to add a friend on: Android | Windows Phone | Nokia S40 | BlackBerry | Nokia S60 | BlackBerry 10

Cheers,
WhatsApp Support Team