When you are attempting to master a new application, there is always a learning curve and the same goes for WhatsApp as well.
It is a very popular messaging application, recently hitting one billion users. It is easy to start off on this app, but there are many quirky features that are not very obvious to first time users. There are plenty of interesting features that are hidden and have to be enabled. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you along the learning curve, so that you can get the best out of WhatsApp.
Taking the Crown
WhatsApp is a hugely popular messaging application that was acquired by Facebook in the year 2014. The application is typically used for sending text messages, videos, audio and even for placing a Wi Fi call to contacts. It has been accepted as the most popular messaging application in the world today and has rightfully taken its crown. Today, it boasts of an amazing 42 billion number of messages and 250 million numbers of videos on a daily basis.
Using the App on the Web
You can use the application on the web as well as your mobile phone. The web application synchronizes all the messages on your phone. All you need to do is to access the web page and scan its QR code, following instructions as they appear. You can send and receive messages on your PC or laptop, but the phone has to be connected to the Internet, or else the web app will stop syncing.
Using the Passcode
WhatsApp does not allow users to protect the chat, but there are many third party applications that you will find for Android, enabling users to create a password or a PIN. For Android phones, there is Messenger, Chat Block and AppLock or even Smart AppLock. In case of Windows Phones, there is the WhatsApp Locker and for Blackberry phones, there is Lock.
Hiding Features
You can find the Last Seen stamp under the name of your contacts, which indicates the last time when the contact checked out the application. Users can hide the Last Seen stamp on their phones, so that their contacts will not be able to see when they have last accessed the application. Move to Settings, Account and make changes in the Privacy section, by selecting Nobody. However, when you make this change, you will also not be able to see the last seen stamp of your contacts. In addition, you can hide features such as your status, read receipt, profile picture, block contacts and so on.
Managing the Blue Ticks
The two blue ticks show that the contact has seen the message sent by you. However, if you don’t want people to know that you have finished opening or reading a message, it is possible. You have to first put the device in airplane mode and then open a particular message. After reading it, turn on off the airplane mode and the blue ticks will not turn blue to the sender, so he doesn’t know that you have read the message.