WhatsApp privacy features: With over 800 million monthly users in India, WhatsApp is the most widely used app in the country, utilised on a daily basis for its wide variety of features including instant messaging, voice and video calling, and UPI payments.
While most of its basic features are well-known, there are many unfamiliar components that can help protect your privacy, make sending messages easier, and overall improve your experience with the app.
Here are eight WhatsApp hacks you may not have known about:
Bold, italicise, or cross-out text
Just like on Word, WhatsApp messages can also be formatted to be made bold, italicised, or crossed-out. To make text bold, add the asterisk (*) symbol before and after the word or phrase – for example, when adding an asterisk before and after the word *Hey*, the message will have the word Hey in bold.
Similarly, to send text in italics, add an underscore (_) before and after the word or phrase – for example, when adding an underscore before and after the word _Hey_, the message will have the word Hey in italics. To cross-out a message, add the tilde (~) symbol before and after the word or phrase – for example, when adding a tilde before and after the word ~Hey~, the message will have the word Hey crossed-out.
These elements can also be combined; for instance, it is also possible to send a message in both bold and italics by using both symbols *_before and after_* the message.
Find messages within a chat
In times when you need to find a specific message that someone sent, you can easily find it in the specific chat or group instead of endlessly scrolling. To do so, Android users should open the desired chat, and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Later, in the drop-down menu click on Search, and type the desired word(s) and click on Search or OK on the keyboard.
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Apple users can do so by opening the desired chat. They would need to press Contact to open Contact Info and click on ‘Chat search’. Later, input the related keyword or phrase and click on Search on the keyboard.
This feature also allows you to search for a message that was sent on a particular day or time.
Use the ‘view once’ feature
When sending sensitive or private photos or videos, the ‘View Once’ feature can come in handy. This allows a photo or video that is sent to only be seen once, and does not allow the receiver to save or screenshot them.
Click on the icon with the encircled number 1 before sending a photo or video to utilise this feature.
Set a custom WhatsApp wallpaper
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WhatsApp allows you to set different wallpapers for different chats and groups, as well as change the colour or even upload an image as background from your photo gallery.
To set a custom wallpaper, click on the three vertical dots and open Settings via the dropdown menu. Click on ‘Chats’, then ‘Default chat theme’, then ‘Wallpaper’. You can now choose your desired wallpaper from WhatsApp’s collection or from your photo gallery.
Pin important messages
WhatsApp now lets you pin up to three messages within a chat; useful for saving key messages like addresses, to-do lists, or important information. To pin a message in a chat or group, Android users can long-press the desired message, press the three vertical dots on the top-right and click on Pin. iPhone users can swipe right on their chosen message and press the Pin option.
Swipe to reply instantly
On both Android and Apple, simply swipe right on a message to quote and reply instantly. It is much quicker than long-pressing the message and pressing ‘Reply’.
Turn on disappearing messages
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For chats that are private or confidential, WhatsApp’s disappearing messages feature allows for messages sent in a particular chat or group to be deleted automatically. You can choose between a set time of 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days.
Android users can activate disappearing messages by pressing the three vertical dots on the top right. Later, select Settings and then Privacy and opt for Default Message Timer. You can now choose your desired time and chat/group, then press Apply. On the other hand, Apple users can go to Settings then Privacy and later click on Default message timer. They can choose the desired time and chat/group and then press the green check mark icon.
Stop media auto-saving to your phone
WhatsApp automatically saves every photo and video received to the phone’s gallery, which may take up unnecessary space. To turn it off, Android users should click the three vertical dots on the top-right, then Settings, then move on to Chats. Here, you should turn off the ‘Media visibility’ option. Similarly, Apple users should press Settings then Chats and turn off the ‘Save to Photos’ option.
(This article has been curated by Arfan Jeelany, who is an intern with The Indian Express)