40 WhatsApp secrets everyone should know
WhatsApp has the highest reach as compared to any other messaging platform today.
WhatsApp has the highest reach as compared to any other messaging platform today.
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We have put together almost all the 40 features, tips and tricks that users could use with WhatsApp to become a WhatsApp jockey. (Continued from Page 1)
21. Delete multiple chats
Previously, it was a tedious job to delete multiple messages from your chat list. Now, WhatsApp allows you to select multiple chats or messages in the chat and delete them in one go. Simply long press on a single chat or message and continue tapping on multiple ones after that. Then delete them from the options menu.
22. Star messages You can highlight some messages and store them as favourites. These are called ‘star’ messages in WhatsApp. Long press on the message in your chat and click on the star icon. These messages will be saved as favourites within the chat itself. And if you wish to delete the chat, you can also have the option to keep the starred messages and delete the rest.
23. Mark as unread
You can now mark chats as unread so that you can read them later. There are times when you want to read the entire message from the contact or group, but due to shortage of time, you prefer to read it later. However, you could forget about it too. So why not mark them as unread to read it up later. You can also mark chats as unread to mark them as important for later too. Simply long press on the chat and select as unread from the options menu.
24. Reply directly from notification bar
If you receive a message on WhatsApp, you can see it in the notification bar itself (unless you have turned if off). However, to reply back, you usually open WhatsApp and then click on the message and then reply. Now, avoid all those steps and simply pull down the notification bar and hit ‘reply’ to instantly reply to that message and avoid wasting time opening WhatsApp.
25. Backup to Google drive
Save all your chats and files from WhatsApp by backing it up to your Google Drive. This can help you in case you change your smartphone, or lose it. You can restore your data back to your WhatsApp in case you switch to another phone. From the settings, choose backup and then choose to backup to Google Drive. Follow the procedure on the screen to allow Google to access your WhatsApp. You can also choose to backup only chats or media and documents too. Do note: Backing up to Google drive will cost you online space and data bandwidth.
26. Backup/Export chats and media to email
Backup or export particular chats for safe keeping. In the chat screen, click on the ‘options’ menu, then ‘more’ and then on ‘email chat’. You can send the entire chat with or without the media elements to your desired email address.
You can choose to give your chat screen a different look compared with the stock WhatsApp background. Choose from the wallpaper of your choice from ‘options – chats – wallpaper’.
You can also type and send messages in the language of your choice. Choose from 11 different Indian languages from the settings. Head to ‘options’, then ‘chats’ and then ‘app language’.
You can also search for particular message within long chats. If you are part of a large WhatsApp group, or if you are chatting with a contact for a long time, finding a particular message becomes a task. You could either mark important messages with a star or simply use the search feature to hunt for a particular message. Click on the ‘search’ icon on the top and enter the text for your search.
Many users like to get the latest features on WhatsApp. However, you have to wait for the public release of WhatsApp for them. However, if you are a beta user, you can get early releases to you before it is publically released on the app market. To become a beta user, all you need to do is register for it online, and henceforth you will receive daily updates with bug fixes, patches and new features before it is even released to be public. These beta versions are for beta testers and becoming a beta tester is free. Click here to know how to become a beta tester and get early WhatsApp updates before your friend does.
31. Know who has read your messages in a group If you are sending messages to a large group, it is difficult to know who has read your message and who has not. When you send a message, you see a single tick. When you see a double tick, it means that everyone in the group has received your message. When it turns blue, it means that all have read the message. However, if you only see a double grey tick and want to know who all have your message, simply long press on the message you have sent and click the ‘i’ (information) button on the top. This option will tell you how many people have received the message, how many have yet to receive it and how many have read it. On a single one-to-one chat, you can use this option to find out when the recipient read it with date and time information.
32. Send your location with maps
This is a great feature by WhatsApp. If you are meeting a friend, or want to send your friend to a particular location/address or simply want to invite someone to where you are, you can send a Google Map location on WhatsApp. All you need to do is enable GPS, then tap on the attachment icon (the paperclip icon) and choose location. Google Maps will open up, and you can simply mark the location pin and send it on WhatsApp. The recipient can then click in the message, open Maps and follow the map to reach the destination.
33. Send and receive money with FreeCharge
Sending and receiving money was possible on many other social platforms and WhatsApp also has a way to send and receive funds. FreeCharge is one such third-party app that allows users to transact money using the messaging platform. All you need to do is install FreeCharge, set up your account and start sending and receiving money between your contacts.
Many-a-times, you see spam messages coming to your WhatsApp by unknown users. You end up replying back asking for who they are (because their number is not on your contact list), or you probably marked them as spam. If marked as spam, you will no longer receive a message from that number. However, the unknown messenger could be an important person, and you could miss out on some important information. To know who the unknown person is, just install TrueCaller, which will look up its database and inform you who the sender is. This is also important because if you are part of a large WhatsApp group, you could see unknown numbers there and would like to know who they are.
35. Share contacts
You can send and receive contact numbers via WhatsApp too. Previously, when you needed to send across contact information, you have to SMS it to them, or email it. With WhatsApp, you can send contacts too and the recipient can simply click on the contact and add it to their contact list. Click on the paperclip icon (attachment) and choose contacts from there. Select the contact name and number(s) from the list and sent it to your recipient.
You can send existing photos from your gallery as usual using the attachment—gallery option. However, with a new feature added recently, you can send existing photos from the gallery from the camera icon too. Hit the camera icon on the bottom and you will see existing photos shown up on the bottom half of the camera’s screen.
37. Pull back your accidentally sent messages.
You can pull back your messages if you have accidentally sent them to the recipient. There are many times you must have sent a message that could be incomplete or simply unwanted. There is a way to pull back your messages before it reaches your recipient, albeit not as easy as some other messaging platforms offer. At least not as yet on WhatsApp. To do this trick, you have to be quick—really quick. When you send an accidental message, and want to pull it back, if you are quick enough, hit the airplane mode. If your data connection is fast, you could be late. However, if your internet connection is a little slower, you can halt the message before it heads outwards. Hitting the airplane mode could cut off the internet connection, and your message will not get thru. At this time, you can delete the message and turn on data back again. However, do remember, you have to be really, really quick to get this trick done.
38. How to transfer WhatsApp from old phone to new
When you are done with your old smartphone, configuring your new, one could be a task. Especially when you have to transfer apps with have their data stored on the phone itself. Apps like Gmail, Facebook, Games, etc. have their data stored online and not on the phone. Transferring photos, videos, music and documents from one phone to the other is also simple. However, WhatsApp could be a little tedious. There are two methods for transferring your WhatsApp from one phone to another. One is to use the feature within the app itself. Simply backup your WhatsApp online with Google drive, install WhatsApp on your new phone and activate it. WhatsApp will sense that you have some data online and will as if you want to restore it. The second method is to use a desktop PC and transfer the entire WhatsApp folder from the internal storage of the old phone to the new phone. Only after transferring the folder to the same location on the new phone, you should install WhatsApp on the new phone and activate it. WhatsApp will sense that you have some data on the phone and will ask if you want to import it.
39. Use two or more WhatsApp numbers on one phone
Many have dual SIM smartphones and use two SIM cards on it. Unlike Gmail, Messenger or a few other apps, WhatsApp only allows a single number to be used with the app and does not recognise the other number. You cannot use two WhatsApp applications on the same phone to run the other number. The only option you have is to use a third-party app to have two WhatsApp applications on the same phone. There are a few third-party custom modified WhatsApp apps available in the market that allows you to use more than 20+ WhatsApp numbers on the same phone. However, we advise against using the app since they are not original apps from WhatsApp and are tweaked by unknown developers. These apps could contain malware or backdoors, and your privacy could be at stake. Click here to know how to get the custom WhatsApp application and use it. Disclaimer: Use it on your own risk. Here is another similar method, which allows you to use two custom WhatsApp apps on the same phone. The other method is to use Parallels Desktop. This is a free App on Google Play Store, which allows you to use a second copy of any app you need to install on the same phone. The Parallels Desktop creates a second phone environment inside your Android operating system and allows installing a second WhatsApp application. Simply install the app, start it up and install WhatsApp inside it and activate it with the other number you need. Click here to know how to install and use Parallels Desktop.
40. Use same WhatsApp number on two phones
This trick is insane—you can run the same WhatsApp number on two or more smartphones and use them all simultaneously. The trick is a simple feature of an app and can be performed on rooted smartphones. Simply duplicate two smartphones and its entire data with a third-party app called Titanium Backup. If you don’t have a rooted Android phone and don’t want to root your existing phone either, you could use a different smartphone that has a similar app pre-installed on it. If you own a Xiaomi smartphone, you can use the trick with a simple built-in application that allows you to duplicate two smartphones within a few minutes. Click here to know how you can simultaneously run two or more smartphone with the same WhatsApp number.
Ahead of this, WhatsApp is rumoured to be launching many more features. Of which, video calling is already in the pipeline and a previous beta version with video calling enabled was released for beta testers. However, it seems that the beta test failed, or needed further improvements, and the feature was pulled back. Another feature that is also in the pipeline is the ability to send GIF images. As for now, the said feature is rumoured to show up on iPhone only.
Do you have any more tricks or tips that we might have missed out Do let us know in the comments below.