Why are my contacts not displayed in WhatsApp?

If your friend does not appear in the Select contact list, we recommend the following steps:

• Make sure that you have your friend's phone number in your address book.
• Ensure that your friend is using WhatsApp Messenger.
• Make sure that you have the latest version of WhatsApp. You can download it here.
• In your Android phone book, make sure that all contact accounts (i.e. SIM, Google, Phone) are "visible" or "viewable".
• In your Android phone book, ensure that all contact groups (i.e. Friends, Family) are "visible" or "viewable".
• We recommend that you make your contacts "not visible" and then "visible" to force a refresh. After doing this launch WhatsApp >  > Menu Button > Refresh.

Alternatively, you can use all your contacts, not just the "visible" ones. To do this go to Menu Button > Settings > Contacts > Show all contacts.