WhatsApp Messenger explained: Group talks, voice calls, WhatsApp Web, and what those blue ticks actually mean

Read our accomplish guide to WhatsApp, the world’s most popular messaging service

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• 22:09, twenty two MAY 2016
• Updated 22:11, twenty two MAY 2016

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Facebook didn’t buy WhatsApp without good reason. The service can pridefully claim it has over one billion users sending messages and other data through its platform.

More and more people are turning to the service to keep in contact, eclipsing rival messaging services such as Viber, Line, Telegram and even Facebook’s own Facebook Messenger.

Even the discreet SMS message is being left as a remnant of the past . The ubiquity and popularity of WhatsApp has grown so much that businesses are now using the service for employee communication as well as communicating directly with customers.

If you’re fresh to WhatsApp, it can all feel a little tremendous, however. That’s where this guide comes in, to get you embarked, explain the basics, and display you how to make the most out of the messaging service.

WhatsApp Frequently Asked Questions

How do I download WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is available on iOS, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia devices and the app is now available to download for free from their respective app stores.

In the past, some versions of WhatsApp had a charge but that has recently been eliminated, so it’s now available totally free on all platforms .

As WhatsApp is a cross-platform service, all versions of WhatsApp can send messages inbetween one another. There aren’t any charges to send messages as WhatsApp uses your mobile data or internet connection.

How do I register for WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is registered to your mobile telephone number. When you very first open the app you’ll be asked to provide your phone number, after which an SMS verification code will then be sent.

Inject this into WhatsApp and you’re good to go. Anyone you know who uses WhatsApp and has you in their Contacts list will see that the number is registered with WhatsApp and can then contact you via the service.

That’s the genius of WhatsApp, it takes the telephone contacts you’ve had for years and uses them as a basis for an online messaging service.

What can I send on WhatsApp?

WhatsApp can send more than just text-based messages. You’re also able to lightly send photographs, movies, voice messages, contacts, PDF documents and location details through the app.

Sending location information is particularly useful if you ever need to meet friends and want to give them your precise location based on GPS. The recipient can then open this through whatever map app they use, such as Google Maps or Apple Maps.

Can I have group talks in WhatsApp?

Yes, you’re able to create group talks with up to a staggering two hundred fifty six people all at once.

Managing a conversation with that many people messaging at the same time can be tricky but it’s superb for sending out a party invite, for example. There’s also no limit to the number of group talks you can be a participant in.

Every group talk will have at least one admin, and only they will be able to invite or liquidate participants. Everyone is free to leave a group talk whenever they wish. If the admin leaves the group, a fresh admin is randomly assigned from those who remain.

Can I make voice calls through WhatsApp?

Yes. This wasn’t primarily part of WhatsApp but was added around a year ago. through WhatsApp, like everything else, uses your mobile data or Wi-Fi connection.

This makes using WhatsApp calling a good alternative to making expensive phone calls while abroad and also handy if you’re in an area of poor mobile reception.

Rumour has it WhatsApp is beginning trials of a movie call feature, which shouldn’t come as any surprise. It could suggest a viable competitor to Apple FaceTime, Skype, Google Hangouts and Facebook’s Messenger.

Are messages sent through WhatsApp secure?

The latest version of WhatsApp has been updated to support end-to-end encryption for all messages and data sent on the platform.

What this means is that only you and the recipient ever sees the content of your communications. Not even WhatsApp has visibility. Only the sender and recipient have the unique encryption key to view data and messages.

You’re able to verify that messages are encrypted by tapping the name of the contact or group to open the info screen.

What do the blue ticks mean?

WhatsApp uses a delivery and read receipt system. Whenever you send a message you’ll see a number of tick marks next to your message.

• A single grey tick means that the message was successfully sent by the WhatsApp servers.
• Two grey ticks mean that the message was successfully delivered to the recipient’s device.
• Two blue tick marks mean that the recipient has actually read your message.

Once you understand this, you can begin the paranoia as to why the recipient is taking so long to reply to your message having read it.

Many friendships and relationships have been tested by WhatsApp’s infamous blue ticks.

In a group talk script, you will only see two grey ticks when your message has been delivered to everyone in the group . Similarly, everyone in the group will need to have read it for you to see two blue ticks.

If you press and hold your message, then navigate to Info from the menu, you can see a breakdown of who in the group the message has been delivered to and who has also read the message.

If your message remains on a single grey tick, it could be for any number of reasons.

• The recipient might have their phone turned off or they have no internet access.
• They might have also seen the notification but not actually opened the app.

You might have been blocked by the recipient.

WhatsApp Extra Features and Tips

WhatsApp Desktop Application and WhatsApp Web

For a long time, users were sobbing out for a way to use WhatsApp on devices that weren’t their smartphone.

WhatsApp very first launched WhatsApp Web ( http://www.web.whatsapp.com ), which has now been followed by a dedicated WhatsApp desktop application for both Windows and OS X.

Both still use your smartphone to send and receive messages, so that will still need to have an internet connection. Still, for those who spend most of their time at a computer, it saves you having to reach for your smartphone to send and receive messages, as well as the added benefit of being able to type out your messages on a keyboard.

You need to permit each computer to use your WhatsApp account by scanning a QR code from the WhatsApp app on your smartphone, after which you can communicate to your heart’s content.

Reduce WhatsApp’s data usage

Under WhatsApp’s Settings menu, you can navigate to Data usage to see how much data WhatsApp is using as well as how many messages have been sent and received.

By default WhatsApp automatically downloads pics as it receives them, meaning you could potentially use more data than you intend. You can turn this off from here, as well as control what is automatically downloaded when on Wi-Fi.

If you find that movies are taking up a lot of storage space, it could be worth turning this off. There’s also a checkbox to turn on Low data usage , which reduces the amount of data WhatsApp uses during calls.

Apply text styling

If you’re using the latest version of WhatsApp, you can now apply text styling to your messages such as bold, italics and strikethroughs. You can do this as goes after:

Just pop those characters before and after the text you want to format. You can also dual up on the formatting to create text that is in italics and bold, *_as an example_*.

Switch Privacy settings

WhatsApp lets you select a Profile Photo which emerges as your avatar in conversations, as well as setting a Status Message.

You can either choose one of WhatsApp’s default status descriptions or compose your own. WhatsApp will also display when you were last seen online at the top of conversations by default.

Through WhatsApp’s Privacy settings ( Settings > Account > Privacy ) you can determine who is able to see your profile photo, status and online status. You can select inbetween Everyone, My contacts and Nobody.

Selecting My Contacts is useful if you ever get invited to a group talk with people you don’t know. If their number isn’t saved in your WhatsApp contacts list, their view of your user profile and information is restricted.

From this screen you can also turn off read receipts (the tick marks). But note, this is a two way street. If you don’t want people being able to see if you’ve read their messages, you won’t be able to see if they’ve read your messages, too.

Starred Messages

You’re able to essentially bookmark certain messages for effortless access at a future date. This is particularly handy if someone shares a useful lump of information, like the location of a restaurant reservation, and you don’t want to have to scroll back through a long conversation to find it again.

Just long press the message in question then tap the starlet icon at the top of the screen. You’ll see a little starlet icon show up next to the timestamp of the message.

To then view all of your starred messages, from the main WhatsApp screen (the one that lists all of your WhatsApp conversations), hit the Menu button then select Starred Messages and you’ll be introduced with an lightly accessible list of all of your marked messages.

If you want to eliminate a message from this list, long press it again and hit the starlet icon again.

Broadcast Messages

Broadcast messages are essentially like a Bcc email. You’re able to send the same WhatsApp message to numerous recipients without the recipients knowing that numerous people have received the same message.

It’s a good choice when you would rather not kick off a big fresh group talk. The broadcast message will emerge in the individual conversations with each recipient and conversations proceed separately.

To send a broadcast message, from the main WhatsApp conversation screen, hit Menu then select Broadcast Message . Then individually select all of the recipients you want to message.

This article was brought to you by Pro Reviews

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