WhatsApp is probably the most widespread messenger service there is. The simple user interface and the numerous functions make it everyone's favourite. And WhatsApp is steadily improving and adapting its features to keep that Number 1 spot. Keeping up with all the additional features is not easy. Maybe you didn't know about one or the other. So we collected useful tips and tricks for you. Like that you can get the most out of the app.

But not only that, we are well aware that WhatsApp collects customer data. Something that you should also be aware of. Don’t worry. WhatsApp does not read your messages. Even if they want to, they cannot because of the end-to-end encryption technology. But WhatsApp collects your data and sells it to Facebook advertisers. While this does not hurt you in any way it is still a noteworthy fact. If you now feel like you want to switch messenger services check out our blog post called “5 great apps for Android”. There we talk about one alternative.

But if you feel like most people, the benefits of this great messenger service outweigh the downsides. So continue reading our great tips and tricks.

Use WhatsApp Web

Did you know that WhatsApp is not limited to your phone but can be expanded to your laptop as well? You might wonder why you need that, at least I really questioned that feature in the beginning. But now I use it every day because it is such a convenient tool.

You can use WhatsApp Web two ways: online or download. When you want to use it online just enter the term WhatsApp Web in Google and you find the correct link. Then you need to go to your smartphone and select “ WhatsApp Web” in your WhatsApp settings. Scan the QR code on your laptop screen and you have it running. If you want to stop you just disconnect it via your phone.

When you download WhatsApp to your laptop you connect the same way as just explained. The download version offers more features than the online version At first you can make video calls with the download version. Currently, group calls are not supported but regular calls are. That is not possible online. Also if you are connected to the downloaded version once, it doesn't matter where your phone is. As long as both devices have internet access you can message on your laptop. So let’s say you forgot your phone at home but want to message someone from the office, with the WhatsApp Web download that is possible.

Increase your privacy

You can increase your privacy about the chats you send and your appearance on Whatsapp. You might already know a lot about that. For example how to hide your profile picture and status from people who are not your contacts. Or how to switch off the blue checkmarks that indicate that you read someone's message. But you might not know about the two latest features yet. One that allows you to use biometrics to access the app and one that allows you to send self-deleting messages.

Add an extra layer of security to your WhatsApp chats when you set your iOS device to use Touch ID or Face ID authentication to unlock WhatsApp. That works even if your device screen is already unlocked. With this feature enabled you can still take WhatsApp calls and reply in the notification sections but intruders cannot read your chat messages or start calls. You can set a time span for how long this function should remain active.

iOS: Settings> Account> Privacy> Screen lock> Turn on Face ID required / Touch ID required Unfortunately that is not yet possible for Android phones.

If you enable message disappearing, all new messages in a conversation will vanish after seven days. Please notice that these messages can still be saved elsewhere, like on a screenshot. Go to one particular chat, where you click on the contact’s name and then select the disappear message option. This feature is available for IOS and Android.

Slack of the data volume and storage capacity

I can only talk for myself but the “ WhatsApp photos” folder on my phone is by far the largest one with more than 4k photos in there. And most of them are completely useless and just take up storage capacity. If you feel the same, this tip comes in handy. You can tell Whatsapp that it does not automatically download pics or videos that you receive. In the settings on WhatsApp go to “ Storage and Data” and then look at the “ Automatic Media Download”. Select for every internet connection situation (e.g. WIFI) what it should download (e.g. no videos but Photos). Now, whenever you get a video or Photo you manually download it by clicking on it. Like that you have it under control when someone sends loads of photos to a group chat for example. This also saves data volume because you can tell your phone to only download media when you are connected to the WIFI.