1. Stop WhatsApp images appearing in your camera roll
If your friends send you loads of stupid pictures on WhatsApp, and you don't want them mixed in with all your amazing photos, it is possible to keep WhatsApp images separate so they don't appear in your camera roll.
Download a file explorer, such as
ES File ExplorerNavigate to sdcard/WhatsApp/MediaEnter the folder you don't want shared (in this case, WhatsApp Images)Tap the plus button at the bottom of the screenName the new folder .nomedia That should stop any media in that folder from showing up in your camera roll.
2. Lock WhatsApp
If you're keen to keep your WhatsApp private, you can use any number of security apps to set a passcode for the app.
AppLock is a popular choice.
3. Switch your WhatsApp chat history between phones
If you haven't received the
update that allows Google Drive backups yet, and you need to move your WhatsApp history over to a new device, it's a pretty painless procedure. All you need is a microSD card and a few minutes to spare.
Insert the microSD card into the device that has WhatsApp on itIn WhatsApp, go to
Settings >
Chats and calls >
Back up chatsRemove the SD card and place it into your other deviceInstall WhatsApp on the other deviceWhatsApp should detect the backup and prompt you to restore it, which you should do If you need to move the backup, use a file explorer to find '/sdcard/WhatsApp' and move it to the correct folder.
4. Send private messages in bulk, BCC-style
Privacy on the internet is a hard thing to hold onto, but even the famously unprivate WhatsApp has a few features that let you do things on the down-low.
Want to send out a group message without everyone in the group seeing who else received that message, and then seeing every subsequent response to the message? That's what the Broadcast feature is for, and using it is simple:
Tap the Options icon at the top right (three dots)Tap
New broadcastEnter the names of all the contacts you want to send your private message toTap
Create, write your message, then send it
5. Hide 'Last seen', profile photo and status
Getting thrown into a big group chat filled with party guests and people you don't know can be bewildering. Suddenly, your profile picture is staring back at a chatroom full of strangers, who can also see your status and when you're reading messages. If I wanted a whole flock of strangers ogling and judging a photo of me, I'd have gone on Tinder.
Here's how to have better control over who sees this information on WhatsApp:
Tap the Options icon at the top right of WhatsAppGo to
Settings >
Account >
PrivacyGo through the
Last seen,
Profile photo, and
Status options, then set their visibility to 'Everyone', 'My contacts' or 'Nobody', depending on how much privacy you want
6. Mute annoying WhatsApp group chats
We've all been in that position where we've somehow been dragged into a group chat that we either didn't really want to be in in the first place or just don't want to receive notifications from every couple of minutes.
Rather than just leave the chat, which may offend some people, you can simply mute the chat so you stop receiving notifications from it.
In WhatsApp, tap the
Chats tabTap the group you want to muteWith the group open, tap the
Options icon at the top rightTap
Mute, then select the amount of time you want to mute the group for. You can also untick the
Show notifications box so that you never hear from the group again until you decide otherwise
7. Create a homescreen shortcut for your favorite chats
Do you have certain friends with whom you have constant stream-of-consciousness conversations, where you're non-stop WhatsApp'ing all day, every day?
If so, then you can create a shortcut icon to those conversations, which will appear on your Android homescreen. This means you can jump straight into chats with your BFFs and important groups.
In WhatsApp, tap the
Chats tab.Tap and hold the conversation you want to create a shortcut for.When the list of options appears, tap
Add conversation shortcutA shortcut displaying your contact's profile picture will now appear on your homescreen. Tap it to jump straight in and start chatting to them.
8. Recover deleted messages
By default, WhatsApp backs up your messages every day at 4am. This means that if you've deleted any messages since then, but before the next auto-backup, you can recover them. To do this:
Uninstall WhatsApp from your device (
Settings >
Apps >
WhatsApp >
Uninstall)Reinstall WhatsApp.Type your phone number into WhatsApp, then it should notify you that it's found a backup of your chatsTap
Restore to get your deleted messages back
9. How to change your WhatsApp background
This simple little trick allows you to change the default wallpaper in WhatsApp. It's purely an aesthetic feature, but it does make your conversations look a lot nicer.
In WhatsApp, tap the options (three dots) button and tap
SettingsTap
Chats and callsTap
WallpaperTap
WhatsApp, to download the WhatsApp wallpaper pack, or
Documents, to view your own images.Select an image and tap
Set Wallpaper
10. How to change the font size
If your eyesight is less than perfect, you can change the size of the text to make it even bigger. Or perhaps you want to shrink it so you can see more of the conversation on one page. Either way, here's how.
In WhatsApp, tap the options (three dots) button and tap
SettingsTap
Chats and callsTap
Font SizeSelect your preferred font size
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