WhatsApp: Five hidden features you should know

WhatsApp is one of the most widely used messaging platforms that you will rarely spot a person who has not used it or doesn’t use it. To keep the platform engaging, the company keeps on injecting new features and updates to the platform, making our life easier. Here are some of the features of WhatsApp that you should be aware of.

Send messages to numbers not saved in your contact list:

The recently added 'click chat' feature allows users to send messages to numbers that are not saved in their contact list. This means that you now don't have to save unnecessary numbers just for a one-time conversation. To use this feature, you need to enter the following the url:

"api.whatsapp.com/send?phone="

For example, if one wants to chat to a number 5555555 and is not on a contact list, enter the following:

api.whatsapp.com/send?phone=5555555

And then enter this URL on your smartphone’s browser, after which it will prompt you to open WhatsApp and initiate the conversation. This feature is really helpful and will make it easier for users to send messages to a number that is not saved in their contact list.    

Read recent chats secretly without opening WhatsApp:

First of all, one should be aware of the blue ticks on WhatsApp that show when a sent message has been read, but you can disable it. You just need to go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts. However, by doing so, you will lose the ability to check when your own sent messages have been read by your friends.

Besides, there is another way to read messages without triggering the blue ticks by enabling Aeroplane Mode before opening your chat window to read the message. Once you are offline, open the WhatsApp chat and read the message. Do note that after reading the message, close the app from the multi-window before switching Aeroplane Mode off again, so it doesn’t stay open in the background and sync when you go online.

In addition, if you don't want to disable the 'Read Receipt option' or exercise the long process of disconnecting Internet Connection, you can then add WhatsApp Widget on your smartphone Home Screen and can easily check out all the messages without even the sender knowing it.

Add location stickers to images and videos:

With this features, one can customise their photos/videos by adding stickers and filters before sending them. One can also tag a location and add the current time apart from the regular emoji stickers. Also, the location stickers are available only for iOS users.

New media visibility feature

The new feature is already available in iOS. The messaging platform has now rolled this feature to its Android beta version. The 'media visibility' feature allows users to decide whether they want WhatsApp media content to be showcased in the gallery or not. This feature is truly useful as this will save a lot of additional space on your phone.

Recover deleted WhatsApp photos

WhatsApp reportedly added a feature that gives users the option to retrieve their deleted media from WhatsApp. If you have accidentally deleted a media file from WhatsApp’s folder, then you can go back to the chat through which it was sent and tap on it to re-download the file. The media files are said to be stored on WhatsApp’s server for up to 30 days, the post which they are erased. Users also need to know that if you end up deleting the chat, you lose out on this option as well. In short, you need to have your chat log in place in order to allow WhatsApp help you get back your data.

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