Whilst there's nothing wrong with using text messages and phone calls to keep in touch, many people now use WhatsApp to send messages and make calls. It's an easy way to stay connected with loved ones and to send and receive photos and videos.
You can download WhatsApp to your smartphone. If you have an iPhone or iPad, then you'll need to use the App Store, and if you have an Android phone or tablet then it's the Play Store. It doesn't cost anything to download WhatsApp.
Read our guide to downloading apps for more information.
WhatsApp is free to download from the App Store or Play Store. It uses your phone's internet connection and allows you to send unlimited messages, pictures and videos, so you don't need to worry about using up your allocated text or call allowances.
However, you may end up being charged extra if you go over your data allowance, so it's a good idea to connect to Wi-Fi if you're using WhatsApp for things that use a lot of data, like video calls or downloading videos.
You can check on how much data you are using through WhatsApp:
WhatsApp is simple to use once you get the hang of it. It's a messaging app, so it works in a similar way to texting.
This video shows you how to get started on WhatsApp, including how to add contacts from your phone.
How to send messages on WhatsApp:
There are extra features you can use, like sending photos:
Sharing photos can be a great way to feel closer to people, even when you're not able to meet up.
You can also use WhatsApp to make phone calls. Using WhatsApp will mean that you don’t use up your allocated minutes in your phone contract, and because it uses the internet, you can even call people who live abroad at no extra cost.
How to make a phone call:
Remember: Make sure you are connected to a wireless internet network (Wi-Fi) before doing a phone call, otherwise you may incur additional charges from your mobile phone network if you aren't connected to Wi-Fi.
Video calling can be a nicer way of chatting with others than just a phone call, because it lets you see the person you're talking to, and them see you.
How to make a video call on WhatsApp:
Remember: Make sure you are connected to a wireless internet network (Wi-Fi) before doing a video call.
Video calling uses a lot of data and could result in additional charges from your mobile phone network if you aren't connected to Wi-Fi.
You can message multiple people at once in a WhatsApp group. This is really handy if you want to chat with a few family members, neighbours, or members of a club or group.
Someone you know might add you to a WhatsApp group if they have your number, or you can set up your own group:
Your messages and calls are automatically protected by something called 'end-to-end encryption'.
This means that only you and the person you're chatting with can read what is sent.
But as with everything online, there are risks to be aware of, including scams, viruses and misinformation. Here are some tips for staying safe using WhatsApp:
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Table of contents
01What is WhatsApp?02How to install WhatsApp03WhatsApp profile setup04How to chat in WhatsApp05How to use gifs on WhatsApp06How to call on WhatsApp07WhatsApp Web08How to use WhatsApp on tablets09Other WhatsApp FAQs
WhatsApp boasts more than 2 billion users worldwide, but if you don’t live in one of the countries where it’s popular, you may have never used it.
Its $16 billion purchase by Facebook in 2014 turned some heads (and raised some privacy concerns), but it still offers many advantages over its competitors. If those two reasons aren’t enough to convince you to learn how to use WhatsApp today, perhaps the fact that it’s completely free of charge will seal the deal.
Read also: 21 essential WhatsApp tricks and tips you should know
If you’re new to the party, the world’s most popular chat app can be a bit overwhelming. To help you get started, we put together this beginner’s guide on using WhatsApp, from installing the app to chatting with friends and family in groups.
WhatsApp is a free chat app that launched at the dawn of the smartphone era in 2009. It wasn’t until 2015 that it became the most popular communication app worldwide, but nowadays, it’s virtually ubiquitous in most of Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Read also: WhatsApp not working? Here are 5 easy fixes to try
The popularity of WhatsApp is because it’s free, it doesn’t have ads, and of course, it has a huge existing user base.
It also features end-to-end encryption, so your messages are private and secure. However, security policy changes in early 2021 mean the app can share some of your data with Facebook. Learn more about that issue in our WhatsApp privacy explainer.
Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
With every message and call end-to-end encrypted by default, WhatsApp is quite secure for virtually all uses. This level of encryption means that not even WhatsApp (or its parent company Facebook) can see the content of your messages, despite what you might hear online.
Still, you should be wary of phishing attempts. Never give your personal information to someone you don’t know, and don’t be afraid to block or report users you think are trying to scam you. WhatsApp also supports two-step verification in the form of a six-digit PIN.
Read also: How to backup WhatsApp: never lose a message again
When it comes to privacy, things are more complicated.
An early 2021 privacy policy update stated that WhatsApp might share some of your data with Facebook. This will include your telephone number, location, product interactions, etc. Presumably, this is to improve ad targeting in other Facebook products.
This update was the subject of much debate among users but ultimately rolled out on May 15, 2021. Later in 2021, it was revealed that although WhatsApp cannot see your messages, the company regularly uses contractors to do so as part of a content reviewal system. This is limited to extreme cases of child abuse material or terrorism, but it does fly in the face of WhatsApp’s marketing material.
In other words, if you are concerned with your privacy and don’t want Facebook to access some of your data, WhatsApp might not be for you. Other apps like Telegram and Signal offer better security but don’t boast nearly the same number of users.
The first step in learning how to use WhatsApp is installing the app, and you can do it in just a few minutes.
The app is completely free and only requires a phone number and a mobile device to sign up.
That’s all there is to it. You’re now ready to start chatting with any of your contacts that have WhatsApp installed. You can also manually add contacts to WhatsApp if you don’t want to import your entire contact list.
Before you start chatting, there is one more step you may want to take. Creating a profile will help your contacts know who you are, even if they don’t have your number saved in their contacts. You can add a picture, name, and a short bio.
You can also change your phone number from this screen, and the process is the same as when you first set up your account. It will send a verification code via SMS, and once confirmed, WhatsApp will transfer all of your chats and contacts to that number.
Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
Now that your profile is set, it’s time to get to the task at hand: chatting! The first time you open the app, you won’t have any chats open, but you can start a new conversation by tapping on the chat bubble in the bottom right.
Select the contact you want to chat with from the list.
If you already have a previous chat with that contact, it will open that instead of a brand new chat. All that’s left is to type your message at the bottom of the screen. After entering your text, tap the arrow icon alongside the text box to send it.
You can also send pictures or files on WhatsApp by tapping the + icon next to the chatbox. WhatsApp has a built-in camera app, but it’s better to use your normal camera app to take the picture and select it in the gallery to send. This will give you more editing options, and generally results in higher quality photos.
You can also send pictures or files on WhatsApp by tapping the paperclip or camera icon.
To start a group chat, tap the same chat bubble as before, then tap New Group. You can then select the members you want to invite, enter a name for the group, and start chatting.
There are many additional features available, so check out our list of WhatsApp tips and tricks for more information.
Sending gifs on WhatsApp should be a simple task, but the exact steps are far from obvious. To make matters worse, they differ between iPhones and Android phones.
To send a gif on Android, you first need to open a chat and tap on the smiley face next to the text box. Then, tap the gif text at the bottom of the screen to see a selection of the current most popular gifs. To search for more gifs, tap the magnifying glass at the bottom left and enter your keywords. Once you’ve found and selected your gif, all that’s left is to press send.
It’s worth noting that the process may be easier depending on which brand of phone you have, or if you have a different keyboard installed. Often you can tap the gif text above the keyboard instead of the complicated process above.
Read also: 10 best gif creator and editor apps for Android
Mark O'Neill / Android Authority
To send a gif on an iPhone, open a chat and tap the plus icon in the bottom left.
Then, select Photo and Video Library from the menu and tap the magnifying glass icon in the bottom left to search. Once selected, tap send.
Mark O'Neill / Android Authority
One of the most useful features when using WhatsApp internationally is the ability to make phone calls. Unlike standard international voice calls, WhatsApp calls use your internet connection rather than your phone line, so they’re completely free (barring any data overage charges when not on Wi-Fi).
To start a phone call on WhatsApp, all you need to do is open a chat window and tap the phone icon in the top right. If it’s a group, you can even select multiple people to call simultaneously.
The steps for making a video call on WhatsApp are virtually identical. Just tap the video camera icon next to the phone icon. It’s a great alternative to FaceTime, especially for Android users.
If you prefer typing on a keyboard (or don’t like looking at your phone all day), you can also use WhatsApp from a computer.
You’ll need to keep your phone nearby, but it can be a convenient way to chat or send files from your PC or Mac.
If you don’t want to use a browser, you can also install the WhatsApp PC client directly on your computer. If you think someone is using WhatsApp Web without your permission, you can remove access from your phone by following the first two steps above.
With iPadOS adding lots of new features every year that make it more and more like a computer, it might come as a surprise to learn that using WhatsApp on your iPad is quite difficult.
You can install the app directly, but you have to remove it from your phone, which obviously isn’t ideal.
Read also: Apple iPad at 10: A decade of tablets
The best way to use WhatsApp on your iPad or Android tablet is with the web portal outlined above. Even then, there’s an extra step involved due to accessing the site from a mobile browser.
The trick here is to request the desktop version of web.whatsapp.com. This will tell WhatsApp that you’re using a computer instead of a mobile device, and allow you to connect your phone with the same steps above. How exactly you request the desktop version will depend on which browser you’re using, but we’ve outlined the steps for Safari below.
Note that this trick works with Android tablets and iPads of all sizes, and they can be paired with both Android phones and iPhones in any combination. Official multi-device support on WhatsApp might be coming soon, but this workaround is the only thing that works for now.
Both calls and video calls are free, but will use data if not connected to Wi-Fi. Be careful not to exceed your mobile data limits, especially with video calls.
WhatsApp Plus is an application developed using stolen code from the official WhatsApp app. It enables a few extra features, but needs to be downloaded and sideloaded to work. It is unsafe to use and may lead to your WhatsApp account being banned, or worse, your information being stolen.
Yes, WhatsApp was purchased by Facebook in February of 2014.
While some could consider it a social media app, it’s generally considered an instant messaging or communication app. As more business features are added, it may tip further into social media territory.
Yes. Both calls and messages are encrypted end-to-end, so in most conditions, neither law enforcement nor WhatsApp itself can see them unless they have access to your device.
Your WhatsApp status is pretty much the same as your Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat story: a way to share a slice of your life with your contacts. You can learn more about WhatsApp statuses here.
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There is a flaw in WhatsApp that allows attackers with zero hacking and programming skills to permanently block any user's account.
They only need to know their phone number and nothing else, and there is no way to protect themselves from potential blocking. WhatsApp developers are in no hurry to fix the problem.
Each WhatsApp user can lose their profile at any second with a minimal chance of recovery. According to Forbes, it is simply impossible to protect against this, and the attacker will not even need to hack the gadget - he just needs to know the user's phone number, after which he can initiate the procedure for blocking him without the possibility of re-authorization in the system.
The ability to deprive anyone of using WhatsApp is a consequence of a giant vulnerability discovered in the messenger by information security specialists Luis Carpintero and Ernesto Pereña (Ernesto Canales Pereña). They notified the developers of WhatsApp about their discovery, but they have not yet released a patch that fixes the breach, thereby leaving 2 billion users at risk of losing their account.
WhatsApp does nothing to protect users from blocking their profile
WhatsApp is the most popular instant messenger in the world. According to Statista.com, in terms of the number of monthly active users as of January 2021, with its more than 2 billion, it was ahead of Facebook Messenger (1.3 billion) and Chinese WeChat (1.21 billion), along with QQ (617 million). WhatsApp has been owned by Facebook since February 2014.
Vulnerability in WhatsApp makes it possible to completely block the victim's account and is carried out in two very simple steps, in each of which the perpetrator does not even need hacking or social engineering skills - he will not contact the profile owner at all.
WhatsApp standard authorization window
At the first stage, an attacker simply needs to install WhatsApp on a smartphone and try to log in using the desired phone number. The messenger will send him an SMS with a confirmation code, and here there is a calculation that the owner of the number will ignore them.
After several such attempts, the application on the attacker's device will report too frequent authorization attempts and allow the next one only after 12 hours. At the same time, WhatsApp on the victim’s device will continue to work as before.
Notification that authorization was not possible due to an excessive number of attempts
In the second step, the attacker registers a new email address and writes a letter to WhatsApp technical support saying that his account was lost or stolen. He asks to turn it off and indicates the number of the victim. WhatsApp can send an automatic email asking you to write the number again, and the attacker will do it.
Letter to WhatsApp technical support requesting blocking
Next, WhatsApp, without making sure that the real owner of the account wrote to technical support, initiates the blocking procedure. After about an hour, the messenger will suddenly stop working on the victim's device - she will see a message that her number is no longer registered in the system.
“It could be because you registered it on another phone. If you haven't done so, verify your phone number to log into your account again," the notification will say.
WhatsApp response with confirmation of the request
All of this will work even if the user has enabled two-factor authentication. An attempt to request a new code will fail - WhatsApp will allow you to do this only after 12 hours.
If the attacker decides to stop at the second stage, then everything will end up with just the inability of the user to connect to WhatsApp with his number for several hours. After a maximum of 12 hours, the user will be able to regain control over his account and continue working in the messenger exactly until someone wants to repeat the "trick" with the blocking.
But in fact there is an additional, third stage, leading to a complete blocking of the account.
This stage can actually become the second - the attacker does not have to send a letter to WhatsApp support, he can just wait 12 hours, and then again make several attempts to register someone else's number on his phone.
After the third 12-hour blocking, WhatsApp will break, and instead of a timer counting down the time until the next authorization attempt, it will show “-1 second”, moreover, constantly. This is a malfunction in the messenger, which cannot be bypassed.
A stuck timer on the phones of the victim (left) and the attacker
This picture will be observed both on the hacker's device and on the victim's smartphone, and as a result, no one else will be able to log in to the messenger using this phone number. The only thing left is to try to contact WhatsApp technical support and look for ways to solve the problem.
A Forbes article shedding light on a new WhatsApp issue was published on April 10, 2021. By April 13, 2021, the developers have not released an update to fix it and have not set a release date for it.
Webinar Meetings waiting for 5 more updates before the end of 2022
Import substitution VKS
Instead, they are preparing to implement a new privacy policy, according to which the messenger will automatically transfer huge amounts of personal data of users to Facebook for better ad targeting.
This policy was intended to be implemented by WhatsApp on February 8, 2021, but was forced to temporarily abandon this idea due to a flurry of criticism. The new date for its entry into force is May 15, 2021, and all those who are not going to agree with it are in for a very serious punishment.
In February 2021, CNews wrote that those who disagree with the new WhatsApp privacy policy will no longer be able to send and receive text messages. Developers will leave them only voice calls. Moreover, the profiles of those users who stop using WhatsApp and switch to other messengers are guaranteed to be completely deleted.
WhatsApp is known not only for the fact that it is used by billions of people, but also for the fact that if it appreciates its users, it is far from always. So, for example, in June 2020, it became known that some phone numbers linked to user profiles in WhatsApp had been in the public domain for a long time and even got into Google search results.
In total, with the help of Google, it was possible to find up to the number of about 300 thousand users of the messenger, and this problem was of a global nature.
WhatsApp is still in first place in terms of the number of users
In November 2019, CNews reported that WhatsApp users were automatically permanently banned for participating in harmless group chats. It turned out to be possible to fall under the sanctions for changing the name of the chat to something that would seem to the moderators of the service as something sinister, illegal or malicious.
Andrey Chapchaev, InfoTeKS: The level of cyber threats is growing, it is necessary to accelerate in the pace of development of information security
Safety
At the same time, WhatsApp was in no hurry to fix this failure. The employees of the messenger responded to all requests from the victims about the reasons for blocking that the users themselves violated the rules of the service, and the fault in blocking lies solely with them.
As a result, people had to either change their phone number to register a new profile, or go to other services - Telegram, Viber, Signal and others.
Elyas Kasmi
I've been using this feature on WhatsApp for a long time, and I know that most people don't know about it.
If you want to make a word bold, simply put an asterisk (*) at the beginning and end of the word. For example, if you want to make the word bold bold, write * bold *. The same with italic , but instead of asterisks we put an underscore (_). To get strikethrough text, you need to put a tilde sign (~) at the beginning and end of the required fragment. There is also the option to create monospaced text by adding three quotes to either side of the text.
Is this too difficult for you? Then just highlight the desired word or text, click "more" and choose to bold, italic, strikethrough or monospace. I want to warn you that this is not available on all devices, so it's better to use the first method.
If the group is active and new messages are constantly coming in, quoting is the best way not to get confused about who replies to whom and what.
To quote someone, you need to click on the message for a few seconds, and then select the arrow pointing to the left (this is the first arrow).
Thus, the quoted message is attached, all that remains is to type the answer and send it.
One of the best WhatsApp tricks you should know to save your mobile internet data.
There are several ways to save WhatsApp internet traffic while still receiving notifications and messages. First, disable the app's ability to download media over the mobile network. This can be done in the settings for this, click on three dots in the upper right corner, then " Settings " - " Data and storage "-" Media startup - Mobile network ".
More ways to save data: 5 best apps to save data on Android
In this section, you need to uncheck the media content that does not need to be downloaded using mobile Internet. After that, in order to view the sent photo or video in the chat, you just need to click on the file, and the download will begin.
I especially recommend turning off videos, as they have a lot of weight and eat up traffic the most.
WhatsApp calls are very convenient, after launching them I gave up Skype. But they can use a lot of traffic, which is especially worth paying attention to users with a limited data plan. Fortunately, WhatsApp also has the ability to lower the bandwidth on calls, thereby saving traffic. To enable the data saving feature, go to " *** " - " Settings " - " Data and storage "-" Call settings "and check the box next to" Save data".
All Android phones released in the last five years have traffic usage statistics, Google has even released applications to save traffic. WhatsApp also has statistics on traffic consumption, the statistics are conveniently divided into categories.
To get into the WhatsApp traffic log, you need to go to " Settings "-" Data and storage "-" Data usage ". Here you can view all application statistics, such as how much Internet traffic was spent on calls, messages, the number of messages sent, etc. The biggest downside to this statistic is that there is no breakdown of traffic used by Wi-Fi and cellular.
If you go to " Settings " - " Data storage "-" Storage ", you will see impressive statistics.
In this section, you can see how much space a chat with a contact or a group takes. After you select a contact or group, you can view detailed statistics such as how much space is taken up by photos, videos, audio, documents, and the number of text messages. Here you can delete certain media content.
You can do more than just see how long a chat with a particular contact takes.
You can remove specific media content from a specific chat.
All you have to do is visit the storage again (" Settings " - " Data storage " - " Storage "). Here, select a contact or group and click the "Manage Community" button. Now you can mark which categories of content you need to clear. Therefore, if there are 80 350 MB videos in the group and you need to delete them, just check it and click the "delete messages" button.
On WhatsApp, like Facebook and Twitter, you can request a ZIP archive containing your account information and settings. But I want to note that there will be no messages in the archive.
If you decide to get such an archive, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Request account information " and then click "request report". It takes two to three days to receive the report. Also, the request will be canceled if you decide to delete or change your account number.
You cannot view this file in WhatsApp, you can try to open it with another program directly on your phone or transfer the file to your computer and open it there.
In WhatsApp, you can not only backup chats in the cloud, but also send all chat correspondence to e-mail.
If you need to send the conversation history to the mail, go to " Settings " - " Chats " - " Chat history " - " Send chat via email mail ", after which the entire list of available chats will open.
Once you have selected the desired chat, WhatsApp will ask if you want to include media or send only text and emotes. After selection, a standard email application will open, with the chat log attached it will be in .txt format, all that remains is to enter the addressee and press the send button.
By default, when you change devices, WhatsApp asks for a phone number and a one-time password.
But turning on two-step verification means attackers can access your account even if they have a SIM card.
To enable it, you need to go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Two-Step Verification ". Here you will need to create a 6-digit PIN, which will need to be entered when registering new devices. You can also add your e-mail here if you suddenly forget your PIN.
There is one drawback, it is that you can disable two-step authentication from the source device without entering passwords and PIN codes. Very strange.
WhatsApp also lets you add contact shortcuts to your Android desktop - ideal for popular and favorite contacts.
To add a chat shortcut to your phone's desktop, open a chat or group, and then click three dots in the top right corner. From here, click " More " - " Add Icon to Screen ".
Then just click Confirm to confirm the decision.
x, the infamous blue tick. For the uninitiated, it means that the message has been read. If you want to hide from your contacts and turn off the read receipt (blue tick), go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy " and uncheck " Read receipts ".
Remember that this works both ways, i.e. your contacts can't see when you're reading their messages, and you can't see when they're reading yours.
One of the WhatsApp hacks you probably didn't know about is the ability to see who has read your message in a group. All you have to do to see the reader list is hold down on your message to highlight it, then tap the three-dot menu and select " Info ". Here you will see the full list of people who read the message, and at what time it was read.
WhatsApp has a feature that shows when you were last online, or rather, when you last opened WhatsApp.
If you decide to turn it off, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy ". Then click " Visit time " and choose who can see your last online visit time. There are three categories to choose from: " All ", " My contacts " and " Nobody ".
In the same way, you can change the visibility of the profile photo and contact details. They can also be viewable by everyone, only by your contact, or by no one at all.
Feel free to block unwanted contacts on WhatsApp. To see the full list of blocked contacts, go to " Settings " - " Account " - " Privacy ". Next, you need to scroll to the section " Messages " and press " Blocked: X ".
Here you can also add to the blocked list by clicking on the icon in the upper right corner. The "Contacts" page will open, where it remains only to select a contact to block.
Sending your location to a WhatsApp chat is very simple, press the paperclip icon and click on the "Location" icon. But what if you want someone to see your real-time location, like a friend or parent? It turns out that WhatsApp has such a function, and it will be a real find, first of all, for parents.
You can activate the function by pressing the paperclip icon again. Now click " Location " - " Share location " and enter the time, from 15 minutes to 8 hours. If you change your mind about sharing your location, end tracking manually by clicking on the “ Stop sharing ” button.
A regular WhatsApp user has a lot of contacts in his address book, and if you get a lot of messages, it's not clear when the message you are waiting for is received.
Fortunately, there is one way to sort incoming messages by notification sound.
To create an individual notification, you need to enter the chat with the desired contact. Here, click on its name at the top of the window and select "Individual Notifications".
After you get to this section, check the box next to "Use". Here you can change the chat notification sound, call notification, vibration, indicator light, etc.
You probably have a group that constantly posts memes and viral videos. You can set up notifications, following the previous tip, or just turn off the group or contact.
To temporarily mute a chat or group, press and hold a contact's chat. Several icons will appear at the top of the screen. Tap the mute icon (crossed out speaker). Specify the mute period (eight hours, week, year) and choose whether to show notifications for new recordings.
Whether you prefer a full-size keyboard or just love the convenience of a large screen, WhatsApp Web is one of the best features.
To get started, go to web.whatsapp.com from your computer. The site will display a QR code that can be read in the WhatsApp mobile app. On your phone, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, then select Connected devices > Link device to launch the QR code reader. Now scan the QR code on the website with your phone's QR code reader and that's it.
WhatsApp Web may not be as flexible as you would like, but one of WhatsApp's coolest tricks is the ability to share information between your phone and PC.
If you have two WhatsApp accounts, you can send content from the second account to the one that is currently active on your PC. Have a friend who doesn't mind being the go-between? You can then simply send the files to WhatsApp Web and click on their account to view/download the file. The reverse is also true - you can send content from your computer (via WhatsApp Web) to another WhatsApp account or to a long-suffering friend.
