WhatsApp Link With a Pre-Filled Message on iPhone: How to Write It, URL-Encode It and Turn It Into a QR Code (8 Copy-Paste Templates)

A plain wa.me link opens a chat. A WhatsApp link with a pre-filled message opens the chat with the first message already typed, so the person only has to tap send. Instead of "Hi" and a pause, you get "Hi, I saw your ad for the studio flat and would like to book a viewing", and you know which ad they saw. This guide covers how the message part of the link works, how to URL-encode it by hand, why most people should not, eight ready-to-paste templates, and how to turn the finished link into a QR code on an iPhone.

The basics of the link itself (country code, no plus sign, no leading zero) are in the earlier wa.me link generator guide, and if a link you already have is misbehaving, the wa.me format checked line by line post is the troubleshooting version. This one is about the message.

What the pre-filled text actually does

When someone taps a click-to-chat link, WhatsApp opens a conversation with the number in the link. If the link also carries a text= part, WhatsApp decodes it and places it in the message box of that conversation, unsent. Nothing goes out until the person taps send, and they can edit or delete the text first. Neither side needs the other saved as a contact. It works the same whether your number is a personal WhatsApp account or a WhatsApp Business one.

Two consequences follow. The message is a suggestion, not a form: people change it. And it is part of the link, so a different message means a different link, which is how you tell placements apart.

The wa.me text parameter and URL encoding by hand

The format is https://wa.me/<number>?text=<message>, and the catch is that a web address cannot contain spaces, line breaks or most punctuation as they are. Every such character has to be written as a percent sign followed by its code. Spaces become %20, a line break becomes %0A, an apostrophe %27, an ampersand %26, a question mark inside the message %3F. A short example, written out:

Message:  Hi, I'd like to book a table

Link:     https://wa.me/14155550142?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table

Doable for twelve plain English words. It falls apart with anything else. Emoji and accented letters are stored as several bytes each, so a single thumbs-up is %F0%9F%91%8D and a German u-umlaut is %C3%BC; typed by hand on a phone keyboard, these come out as question marks or stop the link dead at the first unencoded character. A message with an & in it that is not encoded loses everything after the &, because the browser reads it as the start of a new parameter. A real line break pasted into a bio ends the link right there.

This is the job Chat Link & QR Code Maker exists for. You type the number and the message as normal text, with apostrophes, emoji, umlauts and line breaks, and the app builds the encoded link. Copy link puts it on the clipboard, Open chat hands it to WhatsApp so you can see the message sitting in the box before anyone else does, and Save QR to Photos makes the printable version covered further down. It is iPhone only, a $2.99 one-time purchase, runs offline, and uploads nothing: the number and the message are turned into a link on the phone.

Eight copy-paste templates by use case

Paste any of these into the message field as plain text; the app does the encoding. The blanks (___) are for the customer to fill in, and each template starts with the thing you most need to know.

• Market stall, order enquiry: Hi! I'm at your stall at the Saturday market. Do you have ___ in stock, and can I reserve one?
• Salon, appointment booking: Hi, I'd like to book a ___ on ___ around ___. Is that slot free?
• Freelancer, quote request: Hello, I'm looking for a quote for ___. Rough timeline: ___. Budget range: ___.
• "I saw your ad": Hi, I saw your ad for ___ and I'm interested. Is it still available?
• Support request with order number: Hi, I need help with order #___. The issue is: ___
• Event RSVP: Hi! I'd like to RSVP for ___ on ___. Number of guests: ___
• Real-estate viewing: Hello, I'd like to arrange a viewing of the property at ___. I'm available on ___.
• Restaurant table: Hi! Table for ___ people on ___ at ___, please. Any allergies: ___

Each one reads as something a customer would say, names the context (stall, ad, order number) so you know where the chat came from, and asks for exactly the details you would otherwise spend two messages extracting.

Tips that make the difference

• Keep it under about two lines. A long pre-filled message gets deleted wholesale, and if the link later becomes a QR code, every extra character makes the code denser and harder to scan.
• Put the identifier first. "Hi, I'm at your stall" or "about order #" at the start survives even if the customer trims the rest.
• Never pre-fill personal data. No names, addresses or phone numbers in the link; the link is public and anyone who taps it sends whatever is in it.
• Test with Open chat. Before the link goes in a bio or to a printer, open it once and check the message is complete and the chat has the right number at the top.
• One link per campaign. Instagram bio, flyer, invoice footer: give each its own first line, and the inbox tells you where the enquiries come from without any tracking.

From link to printable QR code

On a screen a tappable link wins. On anything printed, the same link needs to be a QR code, and the message travels inside it. Build the link with the message for that placement and tap Save QR to Photos: the code is saved as a full-resolution PNG with no watermark, which is what a printer needs. Keep the white margin, print black on white, and scan a test print with a second phone. The menu and shop counter guide covers print sizes and placement; a shorter message keeps the code scannable at small sizes.

Where to paste it, and the trade-offs

The link goes anywhere a web address works: an Instagram or TikTok bio ("Hi! Coming from Instagram, is ___ still available?"), an email signature as a "Chat on WhatsApp" line, an invoice footer ("Hi, I have a question about invoice ___"), a Google Business Profile, a Facebook page or your own website, each with its own first line.

Three limits. The person tapping still needs WhatsApp; without it the link lands on a web page offering the app and the message never appears, so print a number or email next to it for audiences that are not on WhatsApp. A pre-filled message can feel like spam: "I want to buy your premium package today" in the customer's voice is transparently your words, and some people will delete it or close the chat, so keep it to what a customer would genuinely ask. And a link is fixed once published: change the message and you have a new link and, if printed, a new QR code.

FAQ

• Does the message send automatically? No. It is placed in the message box and the person taps send, or edits it, or deletes it.
• Can I pre-fill a message to a WhatsApp Business number? Yes. wa.me links work for any number registered on WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business, in international format.
• Can I use emoji in the message? Yes, if the link is encoded properly, which the app does. By hand, emoji are the most common reason a link breaks.
• Is there an Android version? Yes, on Google Play; the app page links to both stores.
• Does the iOS app need internet or an account? Neither. It works offline, has no account, and the App Store privacy label is "Data Not Collected". It requires iOS 15.1 or later.

The apps mentioned here are independent utilities built by the author. They are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to WhatsApp LLC or Meta Platforms, Inc. WhatsApp is a registered trademark of Meta Platforms, Inc.