# Message Yourself on WhatsApp: Notes to Self That Come Back > How WhatsApp's Message yourself chat works on iPhone, Android and Web, where it falls short, and how Mindie finds your notes when you ask for them. Source: https://www.getmindie.app/features/whatsapp-notes (updated 2026-10-27) To message yourself on WhatsApp, start a new chat and pick your own name at the top of the contact list. WhatsApp opens a chat with just you in it, and many people use it as a notepad for links, addresses and passwords. It works well for saving things. It's less good at giving them back, which is where Mindie helps: you save notes the same way, and you can ask for them later in your own words. ## How Message yourself works on iPhone, Android and WhatsApp Web The steps are close to the same everywhere, though button names and icons move a little between WhatsApp versions. - **On iPhone:** open WhatsApp, go to Chats and tap the new chat button. Your own name sits at the top of the contact list. Tap it to open the chat with yourself. - **On Android:** open WhatsApp and tap the new chat button. Your name appears at the top of the list. Tap it. - **On WhatsApp Web and the desktop app:** click the new chat icon above your chat list and choose your own name at the top. Once the chat exists, it shows in your chat list like any conversation and syncs to your linked devices. You can send text, photos, voice notes and files to it, and many people pin it so it stays at the top. ## Where Message yourself falls short The self chat is a list of messages in the order you sent them. That's fine for something you need in the next five minutes. It gets harder after a few weeks. - **Notes scroll away.** A parking spot, a gift idea and a recipe link all end up in one long thread. Older notes drift out of sight. - **Nothing comes back on its own.** The chat holds the note, but it doesn't bring it up when you need it. - **Search needs the exact words.** If you saved "wifi code" and search for "password", you may not find it. - **No structure.** There are no lists to tick off and no link to your calendar. None of this makes it a bad tool. It just wasn't built to be a memory. ## How Mindie keeps notes that come back Mindie is a contact you text in WhatsApp, so saving a note feels the same as messaging yourself. The difference is what happens after. 1. **Create your account** at [getmindie.app](/signup) and start the free 7-day trial. 2. **Link WhatsApp.** The site shows a six-digit code. Send "verify" and the code to Mindie in WhatsApp. 3. **Save a note.** Begin with "note:", "save this:" or "remember that". Mindie saves it at once. There's no folder or tag to pick. 4. **Ask for it later, in any words.** When your question points to the past, like "what did I save about the car?" or "last time, which plumber did we use?", Mindie searches your saved notes and past chats by meaning, then answers. 5. **Change it if you need to.** "Update the wifi note, the password is on the router now" edits it. ## What saving and finding notes looks like | You send | Mindie does | |---|---| | note: the office wifi password is on the fridge | Saves the note straight away | | what did I note about the wifi? | Finds the note and replies with it | | remember that Sam's shoe size is 9 | Saves it, ready for gift shopping | | what did I save about the car? | Searches notes and past chats by meaning | | #ideas annual plan with a founders' discount | Saves a page to Notion under Ideas, if Notion is connected | | delete the note about the wifi | Names the note and waits for a plain yes | Voice notes work too. Send one and Mindie transcribes it and saves the text as a note, which helps when your hands are full. ## Notes, lists and Notion A note is one thing to remember. When a message has two or more items to buy or do, Mindie saves it as a [list](/features/whatsapp-lists) instead, which you can add to and ask for by name. If you keep your thinking in Notion, add a hashtag such as #work or #reading and Mindie files the message as a Notion page with that category. Without Notion connected, it saves a normal note and mentions that Notion can be connected. More on that in [save to Notion](/features/notion-whatsapp). Once a week Mindie also sends a [weekly recap](/features/weekly-recap) that includes the notes you saved, which is a gentle way to see what you wrote down and forgot about. ## Who uses notes to self - **People who already message themselves** and are tired of scrolling to find last month's note. - **Parents** saving sizes, school details and who to call for what. - **Founders and freelancers** catching ideas between calls before they're gone. - **Anyone who forgets where things are**, from a spare key to a parking level. ## What Mindie doesn't do - **It doesn't read your other chats.** Notes come only from messages you send to Mindie, so it can't search your self chat or any other conversation. - **It doesn't keep files.** Mindie reads text, voice notes and images. PDFs, documents, videos and stickers aren't read. - **It isn't a writing tool.** Ask for an essay or an article and it will decline. It sticks to your notes, reminders, lists and calendar. - **It doesn't share notes.** Your notes stay in your own chat with Mindie. ## Privacy Mindie only sees what you send to it, never your other chats or contacts. Your messages are never sold or used to train AI models. Text "clear our chat" to delete your chat history. Read the [privacy policy](/privacy) for the full picture. ## Cost Mindie is free for 7 days with every feature. Then it's $9 a month or $90 a year (two months free). The first payment comes with a 7-day money-back guarantee, and texting "cancel" ends your plan any time. Details are on the [pricing page](/pricing). ## FAQ ### How do I message myself on WhatsApp? Start a new chat the way you would with anyone, then pick your own name at the top of the contact list. That opens a chat with yourself, and anything you send there is saved like a normal message. ### Where are my notes to self in WhatsApp? They're in the chat with your own name, in your chat list like any other conversation. If it has scrolled down, search your chats for your name or start a new chat and pick yourself again. ### What's the difference between messaging myself and using Mindie? Your own chat stores messages in the order you sent them, and you have to scroll or search exact words to find one. Mindie saves each note and, when you ask a question about the past, searches your notes by meaning and replies with the answer. ### Do I need to type "note:" every time? It helps. Starting a message with "note:", "save this:" or "remember that" tells Mindie to save it straight away, with no folder to choose. ### Can I edit or delete a note? Yes, just ask. If several notes match, Mindie asks which one you mean, and a delete only happens after Mindie names the note and you reply yes. ### Can my notes go to Notion? Yes. Connect Notion from the dashboard, then add a hashtag like #ideas to a message and it becomes a Notion page under that category. Without Notion connected, the message is saved as a Mindie note. ### Can I save a note by voice? Yes. Send a WhatsApp voice note and Mindie transcribes it, then saves it the same way as a typed note. It keeps the text, not the audio. ### Does it work on WhatsApp Web? Yes. Mindie is a WhatsApp contact, so it works on iPhone, Android, WhatsApp Web and the desktop app.