---
title: "How to add a call or message link to a custom popup"
description: "Add links to a custom popup that start a phone call, a text message, a WhatsApp chat, or a Messenger chat, with a different number for each feature."
seo:
title: "Add call or message links to popups"
sidebar:
label: "Add a call or message link"
search:
keywords: [whatsapp, messenger, facebook, phone number, tel, sms, text message, click to call]
---
Add a link to a custom popup, and viewers can click it to start a phone call, a text message, a WhatsApp chat, or a Messenger chat. Phone and text message links work best on a phone: on a computer, they open only if the computer has an app set up for calls or messages.
**[See it on an example map](https://mangomap-staging.com/examples-staging/maps/y4h0ctdr/popup-media-logic-lab)**
Open the Popup Media & Logic Lab. In the legend, turn on `Sites — Links` and turn off `Sites — Default`. Click a site. Its popup shows `Call this office`, `Send a text message`, `Chat on WhatsApp`, and `Message on Messenger` links.
## Before you start
- The popup type must be `Custom`. See [How to write a custom popup template](/docs/configuring-popups/write-custom-popup-template).
- For a different number on each feature, the dataset needs an attribute that holds the number. To add one, add a column to your source file and [update the dataset from the file](/docs/data-updates/update-a-dataset-from-a-file).
## Add a phone call link
{/* Example numbers start with 4, a leading digit that Singapore's IMDA National Numbering Plan (Issue 2, February 2026) does not assign, so they reach no one. They match the phone, sms, and whatsapp_number columns in v4-sample-data/fixtures/sites. Never use other real-looking numbers. */}
Write each number in full international format, with the `+` and the country code, so the link works from any country. Spaces, brackets, and dashes are fine, because the link keeps only the digits and the `+`:
| office | phone |
| --- | --- |
| Central | `+65 4014 6038` |
| South | `+65 4012 2604` |
1. In the Custom popup editor, place the cursor where you want the link.
2. Click `Set link` in the toolbar.
3. Set `Link type` to `Phone`.
4. Click `Insert simple variable` at the end of the `Phone number` field.
5. Choose the attribute that holds the number.
6. In `Link Text (optional)`, type the words viewers click, for example `Call this office`.
7. Click `Add Link`.
For one number on every feature, type the number in `Phone number` instead, for example `+65 4012 2604`.
Always fill in `Link Text (optional)`. If you leave it empty, the popup shows the link itself, such as `tel:{phone}`, as the link text.
If the attribute already holds a complete link that starts with `tel:` or `sms:`, insert it the same way. The link still works.
## Add a text message link
Follow the phone call steps, set `Link type` to `SMS`, and insert the attribute that holds a mobile number:
| office | sms |
| --- | --- |
| Central | `+65 4957 0006` |
| South | `+65 4957 0156` |
On a phone, the link opens the messages app with the number filled in.
The `SMS` link type has no message field. To fill in a message, paste a complete text message link into the `Phone number` field, with the message in URL encoding:
```text
sms:{sms}?body=Please%20call%20me%20back
```
The dialog does not show the message, and you lose it if you change `Link type`.
## Add a WhatsApp link
A WhatsApp link is `https://wa.me/` followed by the phone number in full international format. Write the number as digits only, with no `+`, spaces, brackets, or dashes. For example, `+65 4957 0156` becomes `6549570156`. A number with spaces, such as one that works in a `Phone` link, does not work here.
1. In the Custom popup editor, place the cursor where you want the link.
2. Click `Set link` in the toolbar.
3. Leave `Link type` set to `Web link`.
4. In the `URL` field, type `https://wa.me/`.
5. Click `Insert simple variable` at the end of the `URL` field.
6. Choose the attribute that holds the digits-only number. The URL is now like `https://wa.me/{whatsapp_number}`.
7. In `Link Text (optional)`, type the words viewers click, for example `Chat on WhatsApp`.
8. Click `Add Link`.
For one number on every feature, type the complete URL instead, for example `https://wa.me/6549570156`.
To start the chat with a message, add `?text=` and the message in URL encoding after the number:
```text
https://wa.me/{whatsapp_number}?text=Hello%2C%20I%20have%20a%20question
```
## Add a Messenger link
A Messenger link is `https://m.me/` followed by the username of a Facebook Page. Follow the WhatsApp steps, and type `https://m.me/examplepage` in the `URL` field. For a different Page on each feature, insert the attribute that holds the username, as in `https://m.me/{facebook_page}`.
## If some features have no number
When the attribute is empty, the link still shows, but it does not start a call or message to a real number. Wrap the link in a [conditional](/docs/configuring-popups/add-conditional-content-to-popup) that shows it only when the attribute has a value.
## Check the links
Click `Save Changes` at the bottom right of the editor. Click a feature on the map, then click each link. Check that each one opens the right app with the right number.
In this example popup, `Call this office`, `Send a text message`, `Chat on WhatsApp`, and `Message on Messenger` are the call and message links:
## If the dialog shows an error
- **`Enter a valid phone number.`** The `Phone number` field holds letters or other characters that are not part of a phone number. Type digits, with an optional `+` at the start, or insert a variable.
- **`Web links cannot contain spaces.`** A WhatsApp or Messenger URL has a space in it. Remove the space, or write it as `%20` in a message.
## Related
- [How to add an email link to a custom popup](/docs/configuring-popups/add-email-links-to-popup)
- [How to add an interactive button to a custom popup](/docs/configuring-popups/add-interactive-buttons-to-popup) — to show a call, message, or chat link as a button
- [How to insert attribute values into a custom popup](/docs/configuring-popups/insert-attribute-values-into-popup)
- [How to show or hide content based on a feature's attributes](/docs/configuring-popups/add-conditional-content-to-popup)
- [Popup tab controls](/docs/configuring-popups/popup-reference) — every field in the `Set link` dialog
- [How to update a dataset from a file](/docs/data-updates/update-a-dataset-from-a-file) — to add the phone number column