This wikiHow teaches you how to add WhatsApp contacts with international phone numbers on your Android phone or tablet. Since WhatsApp fetches contacts from the device's standard contacts app, you only need to create a new contact entry containing your friend's international phone number, starting with the plus sign (“+”) symbol.
Step
Step 1. Open the device's contact list (Contacts app)
Look for the app icon named "Contacts" on the device's page/app drawer. These apps are usually marked by a blue, red, or orange icon with a white outline of the human head.
Step 2. Touch the new contact icon
This icon is usually indicated by a plus sign (“+”).
Step 3. Select the location to save the contacts
You are usually asked to select an account and/or storage location (internal storage space or SIM card), depending on the contacts application used. This location is the new contact storage directory by WhatsApp.
Step 4. Type in the contact name
Step 5. Enter the contact's international phone number
In the telephone number field, start by inserting a plus sign (“+”), followed by the country code (eg 44 for the UK), then enter the phone number of the friend in question.
- For example, a phone number in the UK would look like this: +447981555555.
- Telephone numbers in Mexico have a “1” after the country code (+52).
- Phone numbers in Argentina (country code +54) have the digit “9” between the country code and the area code. Remove the "15" prefix from the number so that the number has 13 digits.
Step 6. Touch Save
The location of the button differs based on the version of the app. The contact will be added to your device's contact list so that you can now chat with that friend on WhatsApp.
