Hidden WhatsApp features
9 features you very likely didn’t know exist in WhatsApp
WhatsApp is used by more than nine hundred million people. Microsiervos Geek Team/Flickr
WhatsApp, the app Facebook bought for $Nineteen billion (ВЈ12 billion), is used by more than nine hundred million people around the world and has become one of the best ways to connect with people in different countries or have group conversations.
Unlike with text messaging, WhatsApp uses a data connection, which means sending a message is essentially free, especially for those with unlimited data plans.
While the app is reasonably elementary, there are features many users haven’t yet discovered.
Here are the top nine "hidden" features in WhatsApp that everyone should know about and use.
View As: One Page Slips
1. See how many messages you and your friends have sent to each other.
To find out whom you communicate with most on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Network Usage.
A number shows up next to each contact thatВ represents the total number of messages sent back and forward. Selecting a person exposes more information, including how many messages have been sent by whom.В
Two. Mute group talks.
Group-chat notifications — especially in a big group — can become annoying,В particularlyВ if you aren’t involved in the conversation.В While muting group talk may seem drastic, sometimes these things have to be done.В
Go to the group talk in question, click on its name and select "Mute," where you will be introduced withВ three options: eightВ hours, a week, and a year.В
Trio. Hide your "Last Seen" time.
Hiding your "Last Seen" time is a useful feature if you don’t want people to know when you last checked in to WhatsApp.В
To switch it off, head to Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen. From here, you can select who gets to view your "Last Seen" time.В
The feature does come with a trade-off: You won’t be able to see anyone else’s "Last Seen" time either.В
Four. Switch your WhatsApp number if you switch phone numbers.
Setting up WhatsApp and then switching phones can be a agony. The service is not linked to yourВ actual phone number, just the very first number you come in and verify. This "number" will then go after you onto your next phone, creating confusion for everyone.В
If you get a fresh number, youВ can switch your WhatsApp number fairly lightly by going to Settings > Account > Switch Number and following the steps from there.В
Five. Create custom-built group-chat notifications.
An alternative to muting group talk is having different notifications for each one, allowingВ you toВ check your phone only for the significant ones.В
As withВ the muting feature, head to the talk, click the name and go to "Custom-made Notifications," where a different sound can be selected.В
6. Stop photos from being saved to the camera roll.
Phone storage space is a precious thing, and WhatsApp can consume a lot of it.В
To avoid this, head to Apple Settings > Privacy > Photos and then un-select WhatsApp from the list, banning the app from saving fresh pictures to the camera roll. Pictures do still download, however, so you won’t be missing out.В
7. See when someone has read your message.
Checking when someone read your message is useful for all kinds of reasons, especially in a group-chat setting.В
To check, select the message and haul it left, exposing the time it was delivered and the time it was read. In a group talk, a list of whom the message has been delivered to and who has read it shows instead.В
Note: If you uncheck ReadВ Receipts to prevent people from witnessing when you have read their messages, you also won’t be able to see when other people have read your messages (explained next).В
8. You can switch off Read Receipts — just like iMessage.
Reading someone’s messages without replying is, in 2015, considered the height of bad digital etiquette. Fortunately, WhatsApp can help.В
By going to Settings > Account > Privacy and switching off Read Receipts, your friends will never know that you are disregarding them.В
9. You can access WhatsApp on the web.
WhatsApp Web, accessed via web.whatsapp.com, brings the phone practice to your computer and is available in all major browsers.В
To access it, go to the website and scan the QR code with the WhatsApp app and you will be logged in. From here you can embark, proceed, and end conversations with all the usual features that are in the app.В
Hidden WhatsApp features
9 features you most likely didn’t know exist in WhatsApp
WhatsApp is used by more than nine hundred million people. Microsiervos Geek Squad/Flickr
WhatsApp, the app Facebook bought for $Nineteen billion (ВЈ12 billion), is used by more than nine hundred million people around the world and has become one of the best ways to connect with people in different countries or have group conversations.
Unlike with text messaging, WhatsApp uses a data connection, which means sending a message is essentially free, especially for those with unlimited data plans.
While the app is reasonably ordinary, there are features many users haven’t yet discovered.
Here are the top nine "hidden" features in WhatsApp that everyone should know about and use.
View As: One Page Slips
1. See how many messages you and your friends have sent to each other.
To find out whom you communicate with most on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Network Usage.
A number emerges next to each contact thatВ represents the total number of messages sent back and forward. Selecting a person exposes more information, including how many messages have been sent by whom.В
Two. Mute group talks.
Group-chat notifications — especially in a big group — can become annoying,В particularlyВ if you aren’t involved in the conversation.В While muting group talk may seem drastic, sometimes these things have to be done.В
Go to the group talk in question, click on its name and select "Mute," where you will be introduced withВ three options: eightВ hours, a week, and a year.В
Three. Hide your "Last Seen" time.
Hiding your "Last Seen" time is a useful feature if you don’t want people to know when you last checked in to WhatsApp.В
To switch it off, head to Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen. From here, you can select who gets to view your "Last Seen" time.В
The feature does come with a trade-off: You won’t be able to see anyone else’s "Last Seen" time either.В
Four. Switch your WhatsApp number if you switch phone numbers.
Setting up WhatsApp and then switching phones can be a agony. The service is not linked to yourВ actual phone number, just the very first number you inject and verify. This "number" will then go after you onto your next phone, creating confusion for everyone.В
If you get a fresh number, youВ can switch your WhatsApp number fairly lightly by going to Settings > Account > Switch Number and following the steps from there.В
Five. Create custom-built group-chat notifications.
An alternative to muting group talk is having different notifications for each one, allowingВ you toВ check your phone only for the significant ones.В
As withВ the muting feature, head to the talk, click the name and go to "Custom-made Notifications," where a different sound can be selected.В
6. Stop photos from being saved to the camera roll.
Phone storage space is a precious thing, and WhatsApp can consume a lot of it.В
To avoid this, head to Apple Settings > Privacy > Photos and then un-select WhatsApp from the list, banning the app from saving fresh pictures to the camera roll. Pictures do still download, however, so you won’t be missing out.В
7. See when someone has read your message.
Checking when someone read your message is useful for all kinds of reasons, especially in a group-chat setting.В
To check, select the message and haul it left, exposing the time it was delivered and the time it was read. In a group talk, a list of whom the message has been delivered to and who has read it shows instead.В
Note: If you uncheck ReadВ Receipts to prevent people from observing when you have read their messages, you also won’t be able to see when other people have read your messages (explained next).В
8. You can switch off Read Receipts — just like iMessage.
Reading someone’s messages without replying is, in 2015, considered the height of bad digital etiquette. Fortunately, WhatsApp can help.В
By going to Settings > Account > Privacy and switching off Read Receipts, your friends will never know that you are disregarding them.В
9. You can access WhatsApp on the web.
WhatsApp Web, accessed via web.whatsapp.com, brings the phone practice to your computer and is available in all major browsers.В
To access it, go to the website and scan the QR code with the WhatsApp app and you will be logged in. From here you can embark, proceed, and end conversations with all the usual features that are in the app.В