WhatsApp general tips and tricks
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Send your location to a contact
WhatsApp allows you to send photos and videos to contacts, as well as share a contact or document, but you can also send your location. This is very handy if you're meeting a friend somewhere, especially if you opt for Share Live Location, which allows your contact to see your Live Location for the duration you choose so they can track you. Duration times are set at 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours.
iOS: Chat > Specific chat > Tap on "+" to the left of the message box > Location > Share Live Location > Select time frame.
Android: Chat > Specific chat > Tap on the paperclip to the right of the message box > Location > Share Live Location > Select time frame.
You can see everyone you are sharing your live location with by opening Settings > Account > Privacy > Live Location.
Search all your chats
Someone might have sent you their address or you might remember talking about a specific programme or film but you don't want to scroll through all your messages to try and find what you're looking for. At the top of all your chats on iOS there is a search bar if you pull down. On Android, there's a search icon.
You can type anything into the search bar, from the start of a town name if you're looking for an address to a specific word and all the chats with that word will appear below as specific messages. When you tap on the Search bar, you will also see a list of options, from Photos to Audio, allowing you to minimise your search.
Clicking on a respective result will take you to that part of the chat conversation you had.
Make a video or voice call using WhatsApp
WhatsApp isn't just for instant messages, you can use it to make video and voice calls too. WhatsApp calling uses your internet connection rather than your plan's minutes.
iOS & Android: Chats > Specific chat > Press the call icon or video icon in the top right corner.
Find who you talk to most
Who is really your favorite person? It might not be who you think. There is a way to find the people you send the most messages to and how much storage each person takes up, among other things.
iOS & Android: Settings > Storage and Data > Manage Storage > You'll see a list of contacts at the bottom in in order of which is using the most storage.
Use WhatsApp on the web and desktop
WhatsApp isn't limited to your mobile phone. There's a web app that syncs everything from your phone and there's a desktop app too. Go to https://web.whatsapp.com/ or download the desktop app from whatsapp.com/download/
You'll then need to open WhatsApp on your phone > Settings > WhatsApp Web/Desktop > Scan the QR code on the browser or Desktop app > Follow the instructions.
Both the web and desktop app will serve up chats and alerts
on your computer, allowing you to reply quickly and easily. Read more about how it works in our separate feature.
Send a disappearing image or video
It's possible to send an image or video that disappears once the recipient has viewed it once. This is great for photos of a password or bank details for example that contain sensitive information. When the recipient closes your picture, it will disappear, though remember, they can screenshot. You can read a full breakdown of the feature in our separate feature.
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.