The format is https://wa.me/ followed by the phone number in international format, without the plus sign, zeros, or dashes. An optional text parameter pre-fills the first message, for example wa.me/33612345678?text=Hi.
The pre-filled text does two jobs: it lowers the effort of starting the chat to a single tap, and it carries context, so the team knows which page, product, or campaign the conversation came from.
wa.me links go anywhere a URL goes: website buttons, email signatures, social bios, invoices, and packaging via QR codes. Each click that turns into a message opens a customer-initiated conversation, with the 24-hour service window that comes with it.
