Averaging 60 billion messages sent per day, WhatsApp is undoubtedly the top messaging app preferred by more than 1.5 billion active users. Wondering what is WhatsApp and how does it work?
WhatsApp is a popular internet messaging service which can be used as a great alternative to SMS and phone calls. Users can also make free video calls through the app; all you need is an internet connection. However, this feature is restricted in some countries like the UAE.
One great feature of WhatsApp is privacy, with strong end-to-end encryption by default. This means nobody can see any of your messages except you and the person you’re chatting with.
If you’re not yet one of the 1.5 billion people using WhatsApp on a daily basis, now is your chance to learn about the basics. Here’s everything you need to know about this amazing messaging app.
Table of Contents
First, you would need to download the app through the Google Playstore or App Store (Apple users). After you have downloaded the app, you will need to configure the settings. The instructions are very easy to follow and would require you to input your name and verify your mobile number. Remember, you need an active mobile number to be able to use WhatsApp. Your phone number will automatically match the contacts and voila! You can now start using WhatsApp.
You can now make further customizations in your profile such as your photo. This photo is what your contacts will see when they chat with you on WhatsApp. You might also want to change your status – which will be discussed later.
You can also import your Facebook contacts on WhatsApp. Just tap the settings tab and edit your profile. Then, you can press the Facebook link and import your Facebook contacts.
By default, your status is set to “Available”. You can change this to another status like “Busy”, “At the gym: or “Battery about to die” when you need to inform your contacts.
If you have used iOS messaging before, it would be easy for you to learn how to use WhatsApp. It’s pretty simple and easy to navigate. It creates a list of contacts and a list of chats. You will see active chats (people you have been corresponding to) and contacts (people who are also using WhatsApp). You can even invite your existing contacts to install WhatsApp.
Simply tap one profile and you will see the complete history of the chat. If you want to open a new chat message, simply click the + (New Chat button) located on the top right corner. Then, select a contact and start chatting with them.
To be able to send a message, you need to have an internet connection. There are three types of check marks or ticks on WhatsApp. Here’s what they mean:
Single Grey Check:
Message was sent to the receiver. The receiver may or may not have an active internet connection. The message is not yet read.
Double Grey Checks:
Message was sent to the receiver. The receiver has an active internet connection. The message is not yet read.
Double Blue Check:
Message was read by the receiver.
When you view a contact’s profile and see his details (photo, mobile number), it gives you options to block the person from WhatsApp. Blocking a contact means he or she can’t send you messages via the app.
You also have the option to save important messages you’d like to read later. Simply long-press the chat and press the star icon.
WhatsApp is definitely fun with friends and family. This is useful if you want to get your message across to a group of people in a single time. Similar to the Facebook messaging app, you can also create a group chat on WhatsApp. There are two types – broadcast lists and new group.
Broadcast Lists
This allows you to fire off the same single message to multiple contacts at once. Just tap the button and follow the New List. You can now choose which contacts will receive your broadcasted messages.
New Group
This feature is mostly used by families and groups, where each and every member can interact and say something. Everyone can interact with each other and see other members who are part of the group.
WhatsApp now has great features for sending multimedia messages such as gifs and videos. You can share videos and photos to your contacts. You can also attach files (docs, pdfs, and worksheets) on WhatsApp. It’s a simple and convenient way to share,
How to do it? Simply press the (+) Plus button to the left of the text input box and you’ll be given options to send attachments to your chat. It can be a photo or a file, current location, or a contact you wish to send to another person.
You can also choose from your photo and video library button, which lets you choose images and videos from your camera roll to share with your contacts. What’s more, is that you can also directly capture a photo from WhatsApp using the camera icon beside the message chat box.
Voice message is also a cool WhatsApp feature. You can send voice messages if you’re too busy to type your message by using the microphone button. Tap it and hold while recording a message. Release it once you’re finished and would like to listen to the recording before you send it out. Once satisfied, click send.
WhatsApp finally lets you update your status or create a story with a series of photos or video. It expires within 24 hours. Your WhatsApp story can be viewed by your contacts as they tap on to your profile photo. Once you check on the Status tab, you will see the contacts who added statuses on their profile.
As a default setting, your status is visible to all your contacts. This can change, but you need to modify it in your privacy setting. You can blacklist people from seeing your status.
Voice and video calls on WhatsApp is smoothly integrated it’s just like a regular phone call. As mentioned above, some countries have restrictions. Thus, this feature is not available to them. Nonetheless, if you and the person you’d like to call are connected to the internet, you can easily do a video call.
To start, you need to select the ‘Calls’ tab. Press the hone icon and choose from your contacts that you’d like to call. Incoming calls will also appear like normal calls.
You can also use WhatsApp on your desktop. But before you do so, make sure you have an active internet connection, Whatsapp is installed on your phone and computer, and have either Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari or Edge.
Follow these steps:
WhatsApp Web has the same features as using WhatsApp in mobile. One advantage is you can share your desktop screen with WhatsApp Web.
Privacy, among others, is one of the most important settings you need to remember and adjust as per your preference:
1. Account Privacy
Going to Settings > Account > Privacy will let you customize exactly who can see your personal details, such as your profile photo and when you were last active on the app. You can also disable Read Receipts if you don’t want anyone to know when you’ve seen their messages – but turning them off works both ways. You won’t be able to see when people have read your messages, either.
2. Notifications
Go to Settings > Notifications and turn off Show Preview. This means that incoming messages will still show as alerts on the lock screen, but will only display the sender’s name and not the content of the message itself. Important if you tend to leave your device out on the table and you don’t want prying eyes snooping at your private conversations.
3. Data Consumption & Storage
Go to Settings > Data and Storage Usage to choose which types of media will auto-download on a cellular connection. If you have a mobile data limit it may be wise to only auto-download photos, videos and the like when connected to Wi-Fi. You can also enable Low Data Usage if you want to make audio calls without using too much of your data limit.
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