10 hidden WhatsApp features you should know and use

USED BY BILLIONS: WhatsApp, one of the undisputed leaders among messaging apps, has recently rolled out new features. WhatsApp, used by an estimated 2 billion people, is a great tool for teams. And it keeps adding new features. But it can be a memory hog. If you’re new to WhatsApp, you may some useful stuff from this list. If you’re an old user, a thing or two from our tips and tricks list may help you immensely. We may use any one of these to make the most of your device and this awesome itself:

(1) SEND A DISAPPEARING IMAGE OR VIDEO: This is a cool, magical feature. Yes, it’s possible to send a visual that disappears — after the recipient has viewed it once. What for? Think of password or bank details, or stuff that contain sensitive info. As soon as the recipient closes your picture, it vanishes. To remember, they must take a screenshot. iOS: Specific chat > Tap on the "+" next to the message input field > Choose 'Camera' to take a photo or 'Photo & Video Library' to select a photo > Choose the photo > Tap on the "1" next to the blue send arrow > Press the blue arrow to send. Android: Specific chat > Tap on the paperclip next to the message input field > Choose 'Camera' to take a photo or 'Gallery' to select a photo > Choose the photo > Tap on the "1" next to the blue send arrow > Press the blue arrow to send.


(2) SEARCH: Pretty useful stuff. It allows you to quickly find resources within the app — images, videos, chats, details — using specific search words. For example, if you type “rota” to check your role or time slot for the week, it easily kicks up all mentions of “rota”— by date (as long as “rota” is mentioned by the sender). On iOS, go to the search bar at the top of your chats, and pull it down. On Android gear, you may tap the search icon. To minimise your search, tap into the search bar to see a list of options, or file types (photos, audio). iOS: Chats > Specific chat > Tap on contact info at the top > Tap on the Search button > Type in the search bar that appears at the top of that specific chat. Android: Chats > Specific chat > Open the menu top right > Search > Type in the search bar that appears at the top of that specific chat. It’s also possible to search a specific chat, instead of all of your chats.

(3) USE ON DESKTOP: WhatsApp isn't limited to your mobile phone. The web version syncs everything from your phone and is useful for desktop users. There’s also a desktop app. Try this: copy and paste on a browser (like Chrome) https://web.whatsapp.com/. You may download the desktop app from whatsapp.com/download/. For the web version, click WhatsApp on your phone: > Settings > WhatsApp Web/Desktop > Scan the QR code on the browser or Desktop app > Follow the instructions. Chats or alerts on your computer will appear on both web and desktop versions.

(4) MOVE IOS CHATS TO ANDROID: You can move WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Android devices. Go to Settings > Chats and tap on the Move chats to Android option. WhatsApp will prepare your chat backup. When you're setting up your Android 12 device, you'll be asked if you want to transfer your WhatsApp history. Scan the QR code shown on the screen to start the transfer.

(5) STORAGE AND DATA: You’ll find this very useful, for basic housekeeping. You can opt to delete items and any copies — which applies to all photos, videos, messages, GIFS, stickers from a certain chat. Those videos or photos that weigh down your device, you could simply delete all of these from one chat. You may also opt delete all the messages in a specific chat or group chat, but leave all the photos. iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage > Select Contact > Manage > Select > Tick the boxes next to what you want to delete (videos or images) > Tap on the bin to delete. You can also sort by which files are hogging your memory, or by newest/oldest.

(6) CLEAR FILES BIG OR SMALL: You may clear storage, review or delete items to clear. This makes it way easier to manage the storage on your device. This way, can know which chats take up the most storage, or check large files (>5MB) or which files have been forwarded multiple times. iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage > Select Contact > Manage > Select > Hit the bin to delete.

(7) REVIEW AND DELETE: Under the section Review and Delete Items, click on either the “larger than 5MB” tab or the “forwarded multiple times” tab, and pick the ones you want to delete. As with the individual chats, you can sort by tapping on the circle in the bottom left corner. iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage > Select Contact > Manage > Select > Hit the bin to delete.

(8) SAVE ON DATA ALLOWANCE: If your data allowance is limited, WhatsApp can hog most of it. But fret not. you can customise when media is allowed to download, as well as ensure calls use as little data as possible. iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Media Auto-Download > Switch to Wi-Fi only for each option to save your data.

(9) KNOW YOUR DATA USE: If you're worried about your data usage, you can find out exactly how much you are using. You'll get a breakdown of total number of sent and received messages, as well as data sent and received. iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Network Usage.

(10) JAZZ UP YOUR WALLPAPERS: You can actually customise your wallpaper for each chat. So while you can use the same wallpaper to all your chats, you may use a specific wallpaper for some (if not all). iOS: Specific chat > Wallpaper & Sound > Choose a New Wallpaper > Select from the options. Android: Specific chat > Wallpaper > Change