Connecting WhatsApp Across Apps: Here’s How to Link Them

If you want to connect WhatsApp to another app on your iPhone, there are several methods available—ranging from Universal Links to Share Extensions. Here is how you can link WhatsApp with other apps.

Nowadays, transferring information from one app to another has become a part of the daily routine. We often need to share photos, videos, PDFs, audio files, or links from other apps to WhatsApp. There are various ways to connect WhatsApp to other apps or send content to it on an iPhone. These include options like Universal Links, Custom URL Schemes, and Share Extensions, which can be used depending on your specific needs. Let’s explore how to establish a connection between WhatsApp and other apps.

How to Link WhatsApp Using Universal Links?

Universal Links are one of the most common methods for linking to a WhatsApp account. This involves writing the WhatsApp number in international format alongside "wa.me". When entering the number, you should avoid using the "+" sign, leading zeros, brackets, or dashes. Additionally, you can include a pre-written message in the Universal Link; this ensures the message appears in the text box as soon as the WhatsApp chat opens. To do this, a URL-encoded message is added using `?text=` after the number. You can even create a WhatsApp link with a pre-written message without specifying a particular phone number.

What is the Role of Custom URL Schemes?

Custom URL Schemes can be used to open WhatsApp directly on an iPhone. This involves using `whatsapp://` along with the necessary parameters. This allows a specific action—such as preparing a text message to be sent—to be performed immediately upon opening the app. If an app needs to check whether WhatsApp is installed on the iPhone, `UIApplication canOpenURL:` can be used. For this to work, the WhatsApp URL must be included within the `LSApplicationQueriesSchemes` key in the app's `Info.plist` file.

What Can You Send to WhatsApp Using Share Extensions? The Share Extension is one of the most widely used methods for sharing content from other apps to WhatsApp. Available since iOS 8.0, this feature allows content from one app to be sent to another installed app. You can share text, photos, videos, audio notes, music files, PDFs, contact cards, and web URLs via WhatsApp.

The Share Extension supports around 30 different types of media files; however, files cannot be edited while sharing them from another app. If you wish to modify a photo, video, or other file, you must edit it within the source app before sharing.

What are the file sharing limits on WhatsApp?

A maximum of 30 files can be uploaded at once. The maximum size limit for all files combined is 2GB. Specifically, the limit for video files is 200MB, and the limit for photos is 16MB.