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Are WordPress Sharing Buttons for WhatsApp & Telegram Coming to Jetpack?

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Written by

Dave Warfel

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2 minutes

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WordPress.com announced yesterday that they’ve added support for three new sharing buttons:

For self-hosted WordPress sites, WordPress sharing buttons are handled through the Jetpack plugin. Support for sharing with Skype was added in Jetpack 3.9, which was released in January (2016). WhatsApp & Telegram are not currently supported in Jetpack’s sharing module. However, it looks like sharing buttons are in the works for both services.

More Info on Telegram Sharing in WordPress

I did some digging on Jetpack’s Github repo. Jeremy Herve, one of the developers of Jetpack, opened an issue in December 2015. It has been worked on, but a few things are still on the to-do list:

  • An icon font (I’m assuming to be added to Genericons)
  • Ensure compatibility with existing Telegram sharing plugins
  • Determine if there is an official button, or just go with WordPress text/icon

Follow along with development on Github.

Telegram Sharing Plugin

There is a separate Telegram sharing plugin already listed in the WordPress plugin repo: Telegram Sharing Button for Jetpack. It extends Jetpack’s sharing module to include a Telegram button. Essentially, it does exactly what Jetpack is considering adding to it’s own module. The plugin has a limited number of active installs, but it does seem to be actively developed & supported.

More Info on WhatsApp Sharing in WordPress

Much of the same story is true with a WhatsApp sharing button. It’s on Jetpack’s roadmap for the 4.1 release, but they still need to iron out a few more things, and conduct a little more testing. They appear to be testing out the functionality on WordPress.com first, before implementing in Jetpack.

Follow along with development on Github.

WhatsApp Sharing Plugin

A WhatsApp Sharing Button for Jetpack plugin is also available in the repo, developed by the same guys as the Telegram plugin. This one is more popular, and is being actively developed, as can be seen by it’s latest update today. It’s officially compatible with WordPress. 4.5.


Would you use Telegram or WhatsApp sharing buttons on your WordPress site? What other services would you like to see added to the Jetpack sharing module?

Dave Warfel

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Dave has been working with WordPress since 2011. He's built 100s of client sites and almost a dozen of his own. He's tested almost every plugin you can think of, hosted with at least 10 different companies, and gone down every SEO rabbit hole you can imagine. When's he's not tinkering with new software, you'll find him in the mountains of Colorado, trail running, summiting peaks, and rippin' downhills on his mountain bike. 🏔️🏃🚴🤸

2 responses to “Are WordPress Sharing Buttons for WhatsApp & Telegram Coming to Jetpack?”

  1. Bilqees Kenchi Avatar
    Bilqees Kenchi

    It’s really good for mobile users. However, wouldn’t it better to add share button specific to mobile OS, so user can share content with any application available. Actually I am looking for my site BilqeesKenchi Please share some easy tips to share posts on whatsapp like facebook and twitter etc…

    1. Dave Warfel Avatar

      Bilqees — I’m not aware of any way for a website to tap into a mobile OS’ native sharing feature. But almost every mobile browser/OS combo I am aware of has an easy way to share the current page.

      When tapped, it will display a list of all apps on the device that can have content shared to them. Native sharing on iPhone, Android, etc. is already built-in, so I don’t see much of a need to add a website button for it.

      If you don’t use Jetpack and are looking for a WhatsApp sharing button, try this article on WhatsApp’s documentation.

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