How to send Christmas message to multiple WhatsApp contacts at once

If you want to send a one-to-one season’s greetings message to several WhatsApp contacts at once this Christmas, the easiest way to do so is to use the app’s ‘broadcast list’ function.

A WhatsApp broadcast list is a saved list of recipients to which you can send a single private message in bulk as many times as you want, without the need to select each contact individually.

When you use the feature, your chosen recipients will only receive your message if they have your number saved in their phone’s list of contacts. Your message will appear as a normal private message, and the recipient’s reply will only be sent to you.

Don’t confuse this function with the group chat, which allows every WhatsApp user added to the chat to take part in a group conversation.

Here’s how Android and iOS users can set up, use, edit and delete a broadcast list:

Android devices

In WhatsApp, select the ‘more options’ icon (which usually consists of three vertical dots in the top right-hand corner of your screen) and then ‘new broadcast’. Next, choose the contacts you want to add, and press the check mark to complete the set-up process.

Now, type in your message and press the ‘send’ icon, and it will be delivered as a private message to each of the recipients you have added.

Editing your broadcast list:

Open your broadcast list and tap the ‘more options’ icon, before selecting ‘broadcast list info’.

Once on the ‘broadcast list info’ screen, choose ‘edit’ to change the name of your list and ‘add recipient’ to include further contacts on your list. To remove recipients, press ‘edit recipients’ and the ‘x’ next to the contacts you want to take off the list, and tap the check mark.

Deleting your broadcast list:

Press and hold the broadcast list you wish to remove, then tap ‘delete broadcast list’.

iOS devices

In WhatsApp, select the option ‘broadcast lists’ in the top left-hand corner of the chats screen, then press ‘new list’ at the bottom of the next screen. Next, choose the contacts you wish to add to your list and press ‘create’.

Compose your greeting and press the ‘send’ icon, and the message will be delivered as a one-to-one message to the recipients on your broadcast list.

Editing your broadcast list:

Open your broadcast lists and press the ‘i’ icon to the right of the list you want to edit. You’ll then have the option of changing the list’s name and, by pressing ‘edit list’, adding or removing recipients.

Deleting your broadcast list:

Open your broadcast lists and swipe left on the list you want to remove, then press the red ‘delete’ button that appears on the right-hand side.