How to add a WhatsApp button to your app

In an app, a WhatsApp button does more than on a website: it can fill the message with details from the screen, like the items in an order, a student's fee due or tomorrow's appointment, so a person only has to tap send.

Updated 2026-11-09

Two kinds of WhatsApp button

The first kind is for your customers: a button in your app that opens a chat with your business number, like the button on a website. A customer browsing your menu or price list taps it and the chat opens with a message such as "Hi, I want to order 2 paneer thali for 1 pm."

The second kind is for you and your staff: a button next to a customer, student or member that opens a chat with their number, with a message already written from the details in the app. A coaching owner taps "Send fee reminder" next to a student and WhatsApp opens with "Namaste, Riya's fee of ₹2,500 for November is due on 10th." This kind saves the most time.

Where the button helps most

On a product, menu or price list screen: order this on WhatsApp, with the item and quantity filled in
On a booking screen: send the booking details to the business, or a confirmation to the customer
Next to each pending payment or fee: a reminder with the amount and date
On a customer's or member's detail screen: a quick chat button next to the call button
On a shared bill or order summary: send the summary as text

How it works, and its limits

The button uses WhatsApp's click-to-chat link: the phone number in international format (91 and the 10-digit number) and the message text. Tapping it opens WhatsApp on the phone with the chat ready. Nothing is sent until a person taps send in WhatsApp.

So the app does not send messages by itself in the background, and it cannot send to many people at once. A click-to-chat link also cannot attach a photo or a PDF; to send a bill PDF, share it from the phone's share menu instead. For many reminders a day, a list with a WhatsApp button on each row is quick: tap, send, come back, tap the next one.

Write messages people trust

Start with the business name so the customer knows who it is: "Sharma Tuitions: ..."
Put the important detail first: the amount, the date, the time
Keep it short and polite; Hinglish is fine if that is how you talk to customers
Save numbers with 91 in front, or ask AppCub to add it, so the link always opens the right chat

With AppCub

Say in the chat what the button should do, for example: "On each student row, add a WhatsApp button that sends a fee reminder with the student's name, amount due and due date." AppCub shows it in the plan, builds it, and you can try it in the live app next to the chat. To change the wording later, ask in the chat or click the button in the app and describe the change.

Questions

Can my app send WhatsApp messages automatically?

No. The button opens WhatsApp with the message ready, and a person taps send. Nothing goes out by itself.

Can the message include the customer's name and amount?

Yes. The message can use any details already in the app, such as name, amount, date or the items in an order.

Can I send a PDF bill with the WhatsApp button?

Not through the link itself; click-to-chat links carry text only. Share the PDF from the phone's share menu and pick WhatsApp there.

Do I need WhatsApp Business?

No. The link works with regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business on the phone that taps it.

Can I message all my customers at once?

Not from one button. A list with a WhatsApp button on each row lets you go through them quickly, one chat at a time.

Does the button work in the web link version of my app?

Yes. On a phone it opens WhatsApp; on a computer it opens WhatsApp Web if the person uses it.

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