You might think you know everything about WhatsApp. After all,
with more than one billion users, it’s fair to presume that most of you will
use it at least once a day.
However, you’re probably
wrong. Like anything tech-related, there are always
more tricks, tips, and features to learn about and use.
But how can you find out about all these awesome tricks and turn yourself into a bona fide WhatsApp pro? Easy – just read this article!
1. Backup And Restore WhatsApp Chats
WhatsApp
makes automatic backups of your chats, but you can also make a manual backup.
On iOS, it’s Settings
> Chat Settings > Chat Backup, then tap Back Up Now.
On
Android, just go into Settings
> Chat settings and
tap Backup conversations to create a backup. This won’t backup
your media, so you’ll need to use a file manager to copy the media folders in /sdcard/WhatsApp/Media.
There is no way to restore chats directly from WhatsApp,
so if you want to restore a backup you have to uninstall and reinstall
WhatsApp.
When you start after the reinstall, you should be prompted to restore
your recent backups, Follow the procedure and you will get your chats back
2. Create Conversation Shortcuts
Are you
constantly using WhatsApp to message the same two or three people? Wife?
Boyfriend? Dog?
If
so, did you know you can streamline your experience by adding a conversation
shortcut to your device’s home screen? Just open the app, click on the Chats tab, long press on the conversation
you want to create a shortcut for, and select Add Chat Shortcut from the popup menu.
3. Blind Carbon Copy
Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) is a frequently used email feature that
lets you send out the same message to lots of people without the recipients
themselves being aware of who else got the communication.
It’s a little-known fact that WhatsApp allows you to do the same thing. The feature is called Broadcast. To use it, click on Options > New Broadcast and enter the names of the people who you want to send your message to. You’ll be able to see who opened it and receive any responses privately and individually.
4. Supercharge Your Privacy
Sure, if you
are only chatting to friends and family it might not be important, but what
about if your number is added to a massive group full of strangers for a
conference or wedding? You probably don’t want everyone seeing your face and
being alerted when you are typing.
The
solution is to edit the visibility of your Last Seen status, Profile
Photo, Status, and Read
Receipts.
To
do so, head to Options > Settings > Account >
Privacy and make
the necessary amendments. You can choose whether everybody, your contacts, or
nobody sees your details (though read receipts are just on/off).
5. Mute Chats
So you get added to a group that’s filled with family members or work colleagues. It can be useful at times, but more often than not it’s filled with inane chatter about grandma’s cat or Barry’s spreadsheets.
The
problem is, if you leave the group you’re going to cause offense to its other
members. After all, why wouldn’t you want to be alerted every time your
cousin sends a picture of her new baby doing something “cute”?
Save
your integrity by muting chats. Navigate to the chat you want to silence, then
tap on Options > Mute.
You’ll be given a choice of muting it for eight hours, a week, or a year – and
there’s also a checkbox which will allow you to disable its on-screen
notifications.
6. Search
How many times
have you found yourself frantically scrolling back through old messages to try
and find an important phone number or email address?
Save
your time and your thumbs by using WhatsApp’s built-in search feature. Just
open the chat that you want to search, then tap on Options
> Search and
enter the phrase you’re looking for.
Sadly, on an iPhone you cannot search individual chats. You’ll need to open your Chats tab and swipe down to reveal your search box.
7. Library Images
The WhatsApp sharing feature is a great tool, but sometimes it can get annoying especially if you’re part of a group that insists on sending hundreds of images of memes and jokes every week. Those images can clog up your library, use valuable memory space, and could be downright embarrassing if they end up in front of the wrong pair of eyes.
It’s easy to stop this happening. Tap on Options (the three vertical dots in the top right-hand corner) and head to Settings > Data Usage. Under Media Auto-Download, tap on When Using Mobile Data, When Connected on Wi-Fi, and When Roaming and uncheck all the boxes.
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