Do you use WhatsApp daily? As simple as it is to use, the instant messaging app is packed with resources. Discover around thirty tips and hidden functions which, when mastered, will allow you to take full advantage of WhatsApp.
SMS is becoming less and less popular and is increasingly being replaced by third-party instant messaging applications, led by WhatsApp , an application owned by Meta, which also owns Facebook. And it is no coincidence that more and more users use WhatsApp almost exclusively to exchange messages with their loved ones.
The application works on both iOS and Android, and completely ignores borders. Thanks to its operation based exclusively on an Internet connection, its users can, in addition to sending written messages, make audio and video calls, and exchange content almost instantly, without taking the risk of incurring additional costs. the mobile operator.
But in addition to the basic functions known to everyone, WhatsApp contains a large number of hidden functions and subtleties which, when perfectly mastered, will make you want to do without all other messaging applications altogether.
1. Use your WhatsApp account on multiple smartphones
You may not know it, but for several months now, WhatsApp has allowed the use of the same account on several smartphones. To connect your WhatsApp account to a secondary device, the procedure is very simple.
Also read: WhatsApp: how to use your account on several smartphones at the same time?
On Android , you just have to open WhatsApp on your second smartphone, then when you enter your phone number to connect, go to the options . You will then have the option to choose Connect a device .
On an iPhone , you should see a Connect this device to an existing account link when entering your phone number.
All you then have to do is scan the QR Code displayed on the screen of your secondary smartphone with the camera of your main smartphone by going to the WhatsApp Settings , then in the Connected devices menu , by pressing Connect a device .
2. Lock access to a conversation
Over the course of updates, WhatsApp has drastically strengthened the options related to the security and confidentiality of its users. Recently, the application, for example, introduced an option allowing you to lock access to a specific conversation.
To prevent anyone from accessing your most secret chats, enter them and tap the name of your correspondent to access the conversation options . Then enter the Chat Lock menu and enable the Lock this chat option .
From now on, every time someone tries to access the content of the conversation, authentication will automatically be required to open it.
3. Send video messages
To save time and not have to write messages, you may have gotten into the habit of sending voicemails to your loved ones. If so, know that you can now add the image there. In fact, WhatsApp has for some time offered an option to send short video messages.
To send a video message instead of an audio message, briefly press the microphone icon you usually use for voice. In principle, a camera icon should replace it. As with voice recording, simply press and hold the button to record your message. As soon as you release the button, the video is automatically sent to your correspondent.
4. Send high-quality images and videos
Until very recently, photos and videos sent via WhatsApp were automatically compressed. Now the app gives you an option to choose the quality of the items you share.
To send a photo or video in high quality, select it from the WhatsApp sharing module and then, when the file is open in the editing window, press the HD button at the top of the screen . Photos sent with this option can be shared in their original definition, while videos, which are larger, will remain compressed, to a lesser extent, at 720p maximum.
5. Share your screen during a video call
Do your loved ones often call you when they encounter problems with their devices? You will now be able to troubleshoot them more easily directly from WhatsApp. Indeed, during a video call, simply ask them to press the small icon showing a screen in front of which is a silhouette (on iOS) or an arrow (on Android) to start screen sharing.
Depending on the device used, they will then have to validate the broadcast of their device’s screen within the call. On an iPhone, you will need to press the Start screen broadcast button .
On an Android smartphone, you will need to press Continue in the screen sharing pop-up then Start to initiate screen sharing in the call.
6. Use WhatsApp as a reminder
Like many people, you probably sometimes send yourself messages as reminders. If you usually do this by SMS or email, know that it is entirely possible to do it on WhatsApp.
To log anything you don’t want to forget, open WhatsApp and start a new conversation . When choosing your recipient, you should see a Your Name (you) contact at the very top of the contact list. Select it. Now you can send messages to yourself so you never forget anything important again.
7. Lock your account
When creating an account on WhatsApp, the application, in addition to asking for your phone number and name, also invites you to add a photo to your user profile. The only problem is that by default, the application makes some of your information visible to all WhatsApp users, whether or not they are registered in your address book. This makes it very easy for a stranger with your phone number to put a name and a face to your number. Additionally, anyone can add you to groups without asking your permission.
To avoid this, it is better to lock your profile as soon as possible by restricting access to this data to your contacts only. To do this, go to Settings , then enter the Privacy settings . In the Online Presence , Profile Photo , Info , Groups , and Status menus, change the Everyone setting to My Contacts , My Contacts Except (to exclude certain contacts), or Nobody .
From now on, only the people you have chosen and who are saved in your address book will be able to see your profile photo, know the time of your last connection and consult your statuses.
8. Keep others from knowing that you read their message
Another disadvantage of WhatsApp, the application includes by default a system allowing users to know when a message sent is received, but also read by their interlocutor. While this can be convenient, it is also extremely intrusive, especially if you are one of those who do not like to respond to messages immediately.
This acknowledgment of receipt and reading system can, however, be deactivated. Go to the App Settings , then Privacy , scroll through the options and turn off the Read receipts feature . Your interlocutors will now no longer be able to know when you have read their message.
Note, however, that deactivating Read Receipts has two disadvantages. Indeed, if you deactivate this function, you will no longer be able to know when your interlocutors have read the messages you have sent them.
Furthermore, it is strongly recommended to change the Online Presence parameter to Person (see previous step). For what ? Quite simply because in addition to not having the read confirmation, your interlocutors will not be able to know that you are online and that you are pretending not to have seen their message.
9. Limit data consumption
If you are going abroad and your Internet data envelope is limited, it is better to make a few settings before leaving to avoid needlessly burning tens of megabytes of data by downloading uninteresting videos from your loved ones.
Open Settings and enter Storage & Data . In the Auto-Download Media section , make sure Photos , Audio , Videos , and Documents are all set to only auto-download items over Wi-Fi . Also take the opportunity to activate the Use less data for calls option .
10. Disable automatic content backup
Whether you use WhatsApp on an iPhone or an Android smartphone, the application has the annoying habit of showing all the multimedia content you receive in your conversations in your device’s camera roll.
To stop this annoying behavior on iOS, go to Settings , then in Discussions , uncheck the Save to Camera Roll option .
On Android, open Settings , go to Discussions and uncheck Media Visibility so they no longer appear in your phone’s gallery.
11. Only save photos from certain conversations
If you do not want all photos received in WhatsApp to be saved in your device’s camera roll, you can instead choose to save (or display) only photos and videos received in certain conversations in the photo gallery of your smartphone. You will be able to automatically keep all the photos sent by your family.
To do this, enter a conversation and tap the sender’s name at the top to access the options. On iOS, then enter the Save to Camera Roll menu and select Always and validate by pressing OK .
On Android, enter the Media Visibility menu and choose Yes in the window that appears.
12. Create mailing lists
If you frequently send the same message to several different people, WhatsApp offers the option of creating broadcast lists. Thanks to them, you can send the same message to several recipients at once, without creating a group conversation.
Instead, your message is sent individually to all recipients on the list, as if it were a private conversation. The responses from recipients in the list are therefore only visible to you.
To create a mailing list on iOS, go to the Discussions tab , tap Mailing Lists at the top left, then New List . Then select all the contacts in your mailing list and validate it by pressing Create . You can, if you wish, personalize the name of your list, by pressing the “i” button.
To send a message to your distribution list, you will then just have to select Distribution lists from the main conversations screen, and tap on your distribution list to open the conversation from which you will compose your message.
On Android, without really understanding why, the function has apparently been removed several months ago.
13. Identify messages received based on conversations
Why rush to your smartphone to check if the last message received on WhatsApp came from a loved one? For your most important conversations, the application offers to configure a personalized alert. Thanks to it, you will be able to identify by ear if a message received deserves that you look at your smartphone.
To set up a custom alert on Android, enter a conversation and tap the contact name to access the conversation information. Then enter the Custom notifications menu and activate the Use custom notifications function and choose your preferences for each of the alerts.
It will thus be possible to personalize the ringtone, but also the vibrator, pop-up notifications, or even the indicator when your device is equipped with it.
If the function once existed on iOS, WhatsApp removed it for an undetermined reason.
14. Edit an Image Before Sharing It
WhatsApp includes an editor allowing you to add annotations, apply a crop, or even add text to the photos you share.
Press the button to insert an attachment into a conversation and press the different icons at the top right of the image to crop it, add a sticker, integrate text, or draw freehand in color of your choice.
15. Add important messages to your favorites
It is very likely that some messages received on WhatsApp contain important information that you should not forget under any circumstances. To avoid losing the most precious ones, it is possible to add them to a list of favorites.
To do this, long press on a message , and in the menu that appears, press Important (iOS) or the small star (Android). A star is automatically attached to the message to identify it as an important message.
To find it quickly later, go to Settings , and enter the Important Messages section . You will find recorded there, all the messages declared as such.
You can easily delete them by pressing Edit , before selecting them and then deleting them by pressing the trash can icon .
16. Share your location in real time
Sharing your location in real time is already possible on Google Maps, but you can also take advantage of it directly in WhatsApp. The function, particularly reassuring if you have to return alone from a late evening, or for your loved ones to follow you during a solo mountain bike outing, is very simple to activate.
To allow a loved one to follow your movement in real time, enter the conversation and press the + button (iOS) or the paperclip button ( Android). Then choose Location , allow WhatsApp to use your location, and finally choose to Share Live Location . Set a duration , optionally add a comment and send your position by pressing the appropriate button.
Your contact should immediately receive a map displaying your location and movements in real time. You can stop sharing your location at any time from the chat by tapping Stop Sharing .
17. Reply to your messages from your computer
If you mainly use WhatsApp, you have certainly already had to juggle between your PC and your smartphone to be able to respond to received messages. However, it is entirely possible to manage your WhatsApp messages directly from your PC.
The messaging application has a desktop application but also a web application which, once synchronized with your smartphone, allows you to send and receive messages on WhatsApp directly from your PC.
18. Pin important conversations to the top of the list
To easily find your favorite conversation among the dozens of conversations open in WhatsApp, you can pin it to the top of the list.
On iOS, swipe right on a conversation and tap Pin .
On Android, tap and hold on a conversation and tap the pushpin button at the top of the screen.
19. Quote messages in your answers
Group conversations within WhatsApp can very quickly become incomprehensible. To restore some order, it is possible when responding to a specific message to cite it in your response.
To do this, on iOS, tap and hold the answer you want to quote and tap Reply .
On Android, tap and hold the response you want to quote, and tap the left-facing arrow icon at the top of the interface.
20. Remove Message Preview in Notifications
Leaving your smartphone lying around on a table means taking the risk of seeing the content of your WhatsApp messages leaked because of notifications. By default, WhatsApp displays a preview of the received message on the notifications displayed on the screen.
To fix this on iOS, go to Settings , then in Notifications , uncheck the Show preview option .
On Android, open the options to access Settings then enter the Notifications menu . Within the Messages and Groups section, uncheck the Use high priority notifications option to remove the message preview in the notifications displayed at the top of the screen.
21. Format your messages
If you are not sure whether to convey information correctly in your messages, WhatsApp allows you to highlight them by making them bold, italic or underlined.
Ideal for highlighting an idea, all you have to do is select the text to highlight to bring up the formatting options. You then just have to select the formatting of your choice before sending it.
22. Reply privately in a group chat
Does a remark posted by a friend in a group conversation alert you to another subject?
On iOS, to reply privately from a group conversation, tap and hold the person’s message then, in the More… menu , choose Reply privately .
On Android, tap and hold the message until actions appear at the top of the screen. Then press the option button represented by three small dots at the top right, then choose Reply privately .
You will then open the already existing conversation with this contact, or initiate a new private conversation with them.
23. Look for a specific message
Finding a message among the thousands received in WhatsApp is quite a challenge if you haven’t added it to Important Messages. All is not lost since WhatsApp includes a search engine that will allow you to filter the messages stored in the application, to only display those corresponding to your query.
At the root of the discussions, go to the search engine and enter one or more keywords . All messages containing the term will then be automatically raised in the list of results.
24. Lock access to WhatsApp using biometric authentication
You may not know this, but it is entirely possible to prevent WhatsApp from being opened by enabling a lock that requires authentication. On iOS, you can lock WhatsApp and require authentication via Face ID or Touch ID .
The function is also available on Android and will also offer you to authenticate using the biometric authentication module that equips your smartphone.
Once this function is activated, WhatsApp can no longer be opened without you validating authentication on your device.
25. Block a contact
Like what exists natively on iOS and Android, WhatsApp offers its users the possibility of blocking contacts who are a little too sticky.
To do this, enter the discussion of the contact to be blocked, and access their information by pressing directly on their name. Scroll through the options and tap Block Contact to permanently block them from contacting you.
26. Check when a message has been received and read
The colored check mark system used in WhatsApp lets you know when a message is received and when it is read. But it is possible to go further by displaying the precise reception and reading times.
On iOS, simply swipe your message to the left of the screen. You should then see a page showing the time your message was received, as well as the time your correspondent read it.
On Android, long press on one of your messages to bring up the options and go to the Info menu represented by an “i” at the top of the screen. You will then see the distribution time as well as the reading time displayed.
Note that you will not be able to access this information if your correspondent deactivates read receipts on their side.
27. Automatically create events in your calendar
Have you gotten into the habit of organizing events by contacting your guests directly on WhatsApp? On iOS, the app automatically recognizes dates and underlines them.
By tapping on a date , you can directly create an event in your iPhone calendar .
28. Enable Dark Mode
Like many applications in recent years, WhatsApp has integrated a dark mode into its application. Less tiring for the eyes, and less energy consuming on devices equipped with an OLED screen, dark mode is automatically activated on iOS if you use the Dark appearance in your iPhone settings.
On Android, WhatsApp leaves the choice up to the user. The application uses the system default theme. If you are using Android’s dark theme, WhatsApp will display a dark theme as well.
But it is also possible to manually configure the dark theme, if you use for example a light theme on Android. To do this, open Settings , go to Discussions , then to Theme . You can choose to use the system default theme, or manually configure WhatsApp’s light or dark theme.
29. Stop strangers from adding you to groups
Have you ever found yourself included in a WhatsApp group without knowing why? To avoid being added to a discussion group by strangers, go to the Application Settings . Then enter Privacy , tap Groups , and change the Everyone setting to My Contacts .
30. Change the wallpaper of your conversations
If you haven’t done so yet, be aware that the wallpaper displayed in WhatsApp conversations can be changed. You can use the photo of your other half, your offspring, a kitten or any other image you like.
To do this, open Settings , enter Discussions , and access the Wallpaper menu . Then go to the Choose a wallpaper menu and select a predefined wallpaper, or directly draw an image from the gallery of your device.
Note that you can also personalize the wallpaper of your conversations individually . To do this, enter a conversation, tap the contact name to access the chat options , and go to Wallpaper & Sound .
Please note, however, that this option is only available on iOS. On Android, users cannot, a priori, apply wallpaper individually in conversations.
