WhatsApp is one of the most used communication services on the planet. Many users know how to use the basic functions such as starting a chat, adding a contact, initiating a call or answering a message. But WhatsApp offers a variety of lesser known settings & options that can really be useful if you know how to set them up.
Here are a few WhatsApp tips and tricks:
Spotting & blocking Spam
Spam is annoying & even potentially dangerous. Most spam messages will land in your Inbox as a forwarded message, but the difference between a message forwarded from your contact list & pure spam is:
- The message will arrive from a number not on your regular contact list.
- It will be denoted with a double arrow, instead of a single arrow. Alerting you that it’s been forwarded more than 5 times.
To block the spam number open the chat, tap on the sender’s name, scroll to “Report Contact” & click on it. Also, as a precaution, set up 2FA (Two Factor Authentication)— Settings, Account, Two-step verification, Enable, to better protect yourself and your data.
Pinning contacts
We all have a list of family, friends & business associates that we chat with on a regular basis. Sometimes, especially if you receive a lot of messages, it’s not easy to find your “Besties” on your chat list. To avoid unnecessary scrolling, pin your regulars to the top of your Inbox by long pressing on a chat, then clicking the “Pin” icon from the top menu. All your frequent chats will now appear at the top.
Lock your chats away securely
If your phone is often left lying around, & other people in your household or workplace frequently use it, it might be a good idea to secure your private conversations. To securely block your chats on Android, use fingerprint authorization, Hit More Options, Settings, Account, Privacy, the scroll to turn on Fingerprint Lock. On IoS, Hit Setting, Account, Privacy, Screen Lock, turn it on. IOS uses Touch ID or Face ID. Now, prying eyes are excluded.
Starred Messages
Important messages that might include instructions or information you need can easily get lost amid your ongoing chats or conversations. If you feel that a message is particularly relevant you can mark it with a star icon so that you can easily find it later. To Star a message—long press the message, then click on the Star icon on the top menu. To find it later—click “More Options”, Starred Messages.
Images & other media
WhatsApp downloads all media sent to you from incoming chats, & if you receive a lot of image rich messages, this fact can quickly load your library with unwanted & very heavy data. To avoid this head to “Options”, Chats, Chat Settings & set Media Visibility to Off. Another trick is to prevent downloads altogether by heading to More Options, Settings, Data & Storage, then under Media set all download options to off by ticking all the boxes.
These tips & tricks will assist in making WhatsApp a much more enjoyable experience, but if you’d like to delve deeper, read up on all WhatsApp features head over to the WhatsApp FAQ for more information.
