Whatsapp, the messaging service runs under “Meta” — the mother company of Facebook and its owned media platforms has been the No.1 messaging service platform for more than 10years now. It has evolved over the years to something that does more than just messaging. Even though it evolved, how they kept the simplicity and the easy use of the application is really interesting. Today, let’s take a look at some Whatsapp tricks and tips that you didn’t know or forgotten even though you use the app every day. Here are some of the most important Whatsapp tips and tricks.
- Use WhatsApp on Multiple Devices
Do you have Whatsapp on your mobile? Mostly yes, that’s why you’re reading this article. But, do you have Whatsapp on your computer? No…?
Yes, you can use Whatsapp on your PC too. There are two ways you can use Whatsapp on your Personal Computer.
- Whatsapp Web
Whatsapp has an online messaging service. Only you need to do is head to WhatsApp Web and scan the QR code with your mobile Whatsapp App.
- Whatsapp Desktop
Whatsapp has a desktop application too. The use of web app is almost the same as the Whatsapp Web. You can download the Whatsapp Desktop application easily on Microsoft Store or Whatsapp Website. Download Whatsapp Desktop and scan the QR with your mobile Whatsapp application.
- Transfer WhatsApp Chats Between Android and iPhone (Upcoming Feature)
Changing the device type is one of the most challenging things for a Whatsapp user. Especially when it comes to changing the device from an iPhone to an Android. But, not anymore. It looks like Meta, the mother company of all the Facebook apps, is going to make a feature to let the users move their Whatsapp chats from one device to another easily.
- Send Disappearing Messages on WhatsApp
Got something serious to talk? Want to talk but not no leak about that? You’re in luck because now Whatsapp can send disappearing messages. But, remember that this is not Telegram or Snapchat. You can’t schedule a timer to vanish the messages, instead, they’ll vanish after 7 days automatically.
- Enable Biometric Lock on WhatsApp
Yes. Whatsapp can be protected with your fingerprint now. The whole app, a singular chat or group chat, or everything can be locked separately now using the Biometric Lock on Whatsapp. On an Android device, you open WhatsApp and go to Settings -> Account -> Privacy -> Fingerprint lock and then enable the toggle next to the “Unlock with fingerprint” option.
- Create Your Stickers
Whatsapp Stickers are awesome, aren’t they? Think about creating a new Sticker set and it goes viral. There are several apps that allow you to crop and edit and make Whatsapp Sticker Packs. “Sticker Maker for WhatsApp” is one of the famous apps that lets you create stickers.
- Hide WhatsApp Media from Gallery
When you receive images, Whatsapp automatically saves them on your gallery. To prevent WhatsApp photos and videos from showing up in your phone’s gallery, go to Settings -> Chats. Here, under the Media visibility option uncheck the box next to the “Show media in gallery” option. Once you have done that, your WhatsApp media will no longer appear in your phone’s gallery.
- Find Deleted Message
WhatsApp allows users to delete sent messages for everyone within 68 minutes so if the user deletes the message within this period then you simply can’t get the message back. However, there is one way you can find the deleted message. You can install the Notification History Log (Free, Offers in-app purchases) app which retains all the notifications in the background. It essentially means that if the WhatsApp message has been received by your smartphone then through the notification log, you can find out the content of the message. It works even if the message is immediately deleted. I would say go ahead and set up the app on your Android device.
- Reply Privately to Messages in Groups
Another cool WhatsApp trick that you might find useful is the option to reply privately to messages in WhatsApp group chats. This can come in really handy when you want to respond to someone’s message in a group but don’t want to let other people know about your reply. You can simply long-press on the message, tap on the three-dot menu, and then tap on ‘Reply Privately.‘
- Send Money Using UPI (India Only)
One of the newest features that have been introduced by WhatsApp for Indian consumers is the ability to send money using UPI. Now, users who have set UPI payments with their WhatsApp accounts will be able to send money to their contacts. Of course, for it to work, your contacts will also need to update the UPI payment information. If you don’t know how to set up UPI payments in WhatsApp, you can refer to our linked article.
- Restrict Group Members From Changing Group Title, Photo, and More
If you are an admin who is frustrated by their members as they regularly change the group’s info, photo, or title, you should use this trick. WhatsApp is giving more power to admins by allowing them to restrict who can change the above-mentioned information. To enforce the restriction, tap on the group’s name and then tap on “Group settings”.
- Read Message without Appearing Online
This hack is for those users who want to stay away from prying eyes on WhatsApp. It will allow you to read, at least the latest message, without changing your ‘last seen’ status. So tap and hold on to the WhatsApp icon and open “Widgets”. Here, pick the WhatsApp mini-window and drag it on your home screen. From here, you can go through the pending messages and it will not change your last seen status.
- Fact-check Forwarded Message
As fake news and misinformation swamp almost all the communication mediums, WhatsApp on its platform is trying hard to stop this menace. Recently, WhatsApp brought a new feature where a “search” button would show up along with the forwarded message. Tapping on it will take you to the Google search page and from there, you can verify the information that you have received. It’s an effort by WhatsApp to make fact-checking easy and accessible to general users. However, keep in mind, this feature is still in beta, but it’s likely that you will receive the update in the Stable version in a couple of weeks.
- Dark Mode
Dark Mode has finally arrived on WhatsApp and it’s available on the stable build. Just tap on the 3-dot menu and go to Settings -> Chats -> Theme. Here, choose “Dark” and you are done. That was all about WhatsApp dark mode on smartphones, but what if you are a heavy user of WhatsApp on the desktop?
- Enable Two-step Verification
We always recommend users enable two-step verification on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google account, and other important online accounts. The same goes for messaging apps as well and WhatsApp in particular since we use it for all kinds of things. So to enable two-step verification on Whatsapp, tap on the 3-dot menu and open Settings -> Account -> Two-step verification. Here, tap on “Enable” and enter a 6-digit PIN. After that, enter your email address for recovery purposes in case you forget the PIN in the future. Now, the 6-digit PIN will act as your second verification method when you sign in with your mobile number on WhatsApp.
- Find Who You Talk to Most
While there is not a dedicated page to find out who you talk to most on WhatsApp, you can get a good idea from the Storage page. Move to the “Settings” page from the 3-dot menu and open Data and storage usage -> Storage usage. Here, you will find your contacts with whom you have shared most data in terms of texts and media. Roughly, the list should give you a solid idea about your engagement with WhatsApp contacts.
- Format Your Message on WhatsApp
WhatsApp has a few markdown formatting options and you can use them on your messages. For example, if you want to make your text bold then put an asterisk (*) on both sides of the text. Next, if you want to italicize your text then place an underscore (_) on both sides of the text. Lastly, to strikethrough your message put a tilde sign (~) on both sides of the text. That’s WhatsApp Text Formatting 101 for you.
