WhatsApp is undoubtedly one of the go-to messaging platforms for a good reason. From secret privacy settings to fun ways to chat, there’s more to WhatsApp than meets the eye. Whether you’re a casual user or a messaging guru, you might miss several under-the-hood features. Here are some WhatsApp mobile tips and tricks to discover new ways to communicate with your friends and family. Since this is a definitive guide, it aims to cover old and new WhatsApp users.
Pro Tip: These are general tips and tricks but I have a separate guide on many lesser-known WhatsApp tips and tricks.
Table of Contents
1. Hide Online and Last Seen From Others
Until recently, anyone could see when you were online on WhatsApp, creating pressure to reply even when busy in the app. Thankfully, WhatsApp now lets you hide your Online status, as well as your Last Seen status, which shows when you were last using the app. To do so:
- In the WhatsApp app on your phone, go to WhatsApp settings > Privacy > Last seen and online.
- Choose the Nobody radio button for the Who can see my last seen option.
- Next, select the Same as last seen radio button under the Who can see when I’m online option.
After you do that, no one can see when you’re online last. Check other WhatsApp security tips to safeguard your privacy.
2. Know Who’s Messaging (or Calling) With Custom Alerts
Do you want to know if that special someone messaged you without even glancing at your phone? You can do that with Custom Notifications in WhatsApp. Open a WhatsApp chat, tap the contact’s name at the top, choose Notifications, and set the notification tone and ringtone of your choice. You can even set a custom vibration for the contact.
The next time the person calls or messages, you’ll know right away. Custom notifications work great when you put your phone in the silent or focus mode during meetings. It’s a crucial way to attend an important call from your mother, spouse, family, or colleagues.
3. Express Yourself With an Avatar
Like Facebook and Instagram, you can create a custom avatar on WhatsApp. You can also use that avatar as your profile picture (if you prefer more privacy and don’t want to show your real photo). WhatsApp lets you create up to 36 different stickers expressing various emotions and actions to use while chatting.
You can customize your avatar with different hairstyles, outfits, facial features, and accessories to create a unique digital persona. To create your WhatsApp avatar, go to Settings > Avatar > Create your Avatar, click a selfie, and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. Spice Up Your Chats With Wallpapers
Most of us generally stick to the default background in WhatsApp. That gets boring and often confusing, especially if you are part of many gropus. Or wouldn’t it help you avoid mistakenly sending messages to the wrong chat if your special chats had a unique wallpaper? That’s where chat wallpapers come in.
To change your wallpaper, open a chat, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and choose Wallpaper. Here, you can choose from preset Bright, Dark, and Solid Colors options. You can also choose a photo from your gallery as the chat wallpaper.
You wonder if the chat wallpaper changes for the other person in the chat. The answer is no—it doesn’t.
5. Your Favorite Chat on Home Screen
If you frequently chat with someone, consider adding a shortcut to their chat on your phone’s home screen. To do so:
- Open a chat inside WhatsApp.
- Tap three dots > More > Add shortcut.
- Finally, tap on Add to create the shortcut.
While that chat appears as an icon with the contact’s photo, you can tap on it to instantly to open that particular chat.
6. Stop Automatic Downloads
If you’re part of many WhatsApp groups, automatic downloads can quickly fill your phone’s storage with unwanted videos, images, GIFs, and memes. To avoid that, turn off automatic downloads:
- Open WhatsApp and head to Settings.
- Tap on Storage and data.
- Under Media auto-download, set each of When using mobile data and When connected on Wi-Fi to none or only Photos.
7. Send HD Photos in WhatsApp
By default, WhatsApp sends photos in a compressed, standard quality. However, they recently introduced a new option allowing you to send higher-quality images. These are still compressed, but less so to retain more detail. While sending an image or video, simply tap the HD button in the top left corner and choose HD quality.
Also Read: How to Share HD Images in WhatsApp, With or Without Compression
8. Change Photo Upload Quality in Settings
Tired of manually changing the upload quality every time you share photos or videos on WhatsApp? You can easily set it to send HD photos by default. Here’s how:
- Open WhatsApp and head to Settings.
- Tap on Storage and data.
- Tap on Media upload quality and change it to HD quality.
9. Send ‘View Once’ Photos, Videos, and Voice Notes
Besides disappearing messages, WhatsApp also lets you share ‘View Once’ or disappearing photos, videos, and voice notes. This is useful when sharing sensitive media or information, or when you don’t want to clutter someone else’s storage or use WhatsApp as a Snapchat alternative.
To send a disappearing photo or video:
- Tap the circled ‘1‘ icon next to Add Caption at the bottom before sending the media.
- It will be set to View Once.
To send a disappearing voice note:
- Press and hold the voice note button, then swipe up to lock it.
- Once you finish recording, tap the circled ‘1‘ icon and hit Send.
- The voice note will disappear after the recipient opens it once.
While WhatsApp attempts to prevent others from taking screenshots and saving View Once photos and videos, these restrictions can be bypassed. Here’s how to save View Once media on WhatsApp.
10. Use Less Data for Calls
Many rely on WhatsApp for audio and video calls throughout the day to stay connected with loved ones. If you’re one of those people, but have limited mobile data, you may want to limit the data usage for WhatsApp calls:
- Open WhatsApp and head to Settings.
- Here, tap on Storage and data.
- Toggle on Use less data for calls.
When turned on, it may reduce the audio and video call quality a bit to limit your data usage.
11. Check Your Most Contacted People
Of the hundreds of people you’re in touch with on WhatsApp, whom do you forward messages the most? If you’re curious, find out by:
- Long-pressing any message and tapping Forward. On the next screen, check the contacts under “Frequently contacted.” These are the people you chat with the most on WhatsApp.
Sharing Most Media Files
Head to Settings > Storage and data > Manage storage in WhatsApp. Check the list of your chats ranked by the amount of storage they use. That gives you a good idea of which contacts share the most media with your and vice versa. Of course, the most is indicative of the file size and not just file numbers.
12. Edit Messages
It’s common to mistype or make typos when writing on WhatsApp, but if you’ve already sent the message, there’s no need to write a new one. In that case, quickly tap and hold the message, select the three dots, choose Edit, and make the changes. The message will then have an Edited marking, visible to everyone in the chat. However, this will work only in the initial 15 mins after sending the message and not after that. Also, WhatsApp doesn’t push a separate notification when you edit a message.
13. Send Instant Video Messages
While voice notes were a great way to quickly share your voice, WhatsApp also lets you send Instant Video Notes. These are up to 60-second videos to record and share directly in the chat. Here’s how:
- Open the chat in WhatsApp you’d like to send a video note to.
- Tap and hold the Camera icon next to the text box.
- Wait for the countdown to start recording.
- After that, remove your finger to send the video.
For iPhone users, FaceTime allows you to share your screen with the other person on the call. WhatsApp brings a similar feature to let you share your screen during an ongoing audio or video call. Like the chats, the shared screen is also end-to-end encrypted and secure.
So, if you want to give tutorials, like explaining to your mom “how to set a timer for YouTube” on her phone, or just show all the pictures in your gallery, use screen sharing during calls. For that, tap the Share Screen button on the bottom bar during the call.
15. Use Meta AI in WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s parent company, Meta, recently released its in-house AI chatbot on WhatsApp. Called Meta AI, it can give you news, information, create polls, write jokes, poems, and more. It can also generate images and GIFs, summarize news and articles, suggest the best places to visit, or create your travel itinerary—all for free.
Check out my experience of using Meta AI in WhatsApp.
It’s still being rolled out and is not be available to everyone. But once you get it, there’s a lot you can do within your WhatsApp app.
16. View Status Without Letting Others Know
WhatsApp allows users to upload photos and videos to their stories as Statuses. When you view someone’s status, they can see that you’ve viewed them. To maintain your privacy or to view someone’s status secretly, you can turn off your read receipts.
This also hides you from the status viewer list (provided you view the status after disabling read receipts). However, keep in mind that you won’t be able to see who viewed your own status if you have read receipts turned off. Also, that will turn off the read receipts for your regular texts and media messages in WhatsApp.
17. Use Same WhatsApp on Multiple Phones
WhatsApp allows you to use your account on up to four devices simultaneously, including iPhones, Androids, and tablets. These linked devices function independently, even when your phone is offline.
To link a device, open WhatsApp on it, tap Agree and Continue, choose Link as companion device, and scan the QR code displayed on your main phone. Linked devices have some limitations, such as not being able to view live locations or create broadcast lists, and you will need to reconnect your main phone every 14 days to keep the linked devices active.
18. Enable 2FA With Email
WhatsApp primarily uses a six-digit PIN for two-factor authentication (2FA). However, you can add your email address for an extra layer of security, allowing you to access your account if you forget your PIN. To add your email address:
- Open WhatsApp Settings and go to the Account tab.
- Tap on Email Address.
- If you already have a PIN set up, tap on Add email address.
- If you haven’t enabled 2FA yet, set it up first. You will be prompted to enter your email address after creating your PIN.
- Enter your email address and confirm it.
- WhatsApp will send a verification code to your email address. Enter the code to verify your email address.
If you forget your PIN, WhatsApp can send a reset link to your email address.
19. Turn On App Lock in WhatsApp
Your phone may or may not have a built-in app lock. But the good thing is WhatsApp comes with built-in App Lock feature to safeguard your chats from prying eyes. To turn it on, go to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > App Lock and toggle on Unlock with Biometric (on Android) or Require Face ID (on iPhone).
Next, choose when to lock WhatsApp: immediately, after 1 minute, after 15 minutes, or after 1 hour of closing the app. When you open WhatsApp again, it’ll ask you to authenticate with your fingerprint or Face ID.
20. Lock Your Private Chats
It’s understandable if you don’t want to lock the entire WhatsApp app, as it can be tiring to unlock it every time you open it. In that case, you can simply lock those sensitive chats on your phone to keep them out of prying eyes.
To lock a chat, open the chat, tap the contact name at the top, and toggle on Chat Lock. Press Continue and lock it with your fingerprint or face. When chats are locked, the notification content and contact are hidden, and the notification will appear as “WhatsApp: 1 new message.”
You can also hide these locked chats with a secret code, which is different from your phone’s lock screen passcode. Refer our guide on locking chats on WhatsApp.
21. Protect IP Address in Calls
Normally, when you call someone using WhatsApp, your IP address is shared with the other person’s device. This can reveal your approximate location and internet service provider, information you may not want to disclose, especially when answering calls from unknown numbers. To address this, WhatsApp introduced the “Protect IP Address in Calls” feature.
When enabled, WhatsApp relays your calls through its servers instead of directly connecting you to the other person. This masks your IP address, making it difficult for someone to track your online activity or target you with malicious attacks. To turn it on:
- Open WhatsApp Settings and head to Privacy.
- Tap on Advanced.
- Toggle on Protect IP Address in Calls.
Note that turning this feature on may reduce your call quality as they’re routed through WhatsApp servers instead of direct peer-to-peer connection. Don’t worry, your calls are still end-to-end protected.
22. Disable Link Previews
When receiving links on WhatsApp, you might have seen a small preview of the webpage, giving you a glimpse at the website’s title, a short description, and perhaps a picture. However, when your phone creates that preview, it contacts the website for information, revealing your IP address in the process.
Fortunately, WhatsApp allows you to turn off these previews:
- Open WhatsApp Settings and head to Privacy.
- Tap on Advanced.
- Toggle on Disable Link Previews.
Your phone will no longer show previews for URLs shared on WhatsApp.
23. Create Your Own Stickers
Custom stickers take the fun of chatting to a whole new level. They let you express specific emotions, inside jokes, or reactions that standard emojis just can’t capture. Imagine plastering your chat with a cutout of your friend’s goofy laugh every time they crack a joke – sounds fun, right? Here’s how to create custom stickers in WhatsApp:
- Open a chat and tap the Emoji button.
- Choose the sticker tab and tap on Create.
- Choose an image from your phone’s gallery to turn into a sticker. Add text, emojis, or drawings to personalize your sticker.
WhatsApp will automatically remove the background and create a sticker for you. Save it, and it will be automatically added to your sticker collection.
24. Convert a Video to GIF
WhatsApp lets you directly convert and send part of a video as a GIF. GIFs are essentially short, looping animations without sound, perfect for sharing memes or quick snippets of what you’re doing.
When sharing a video, trim it to under 6 seconds (if it’s longer) using the slider. You’ll then see a GIF option. Tap on it to convert the video into a GIF. You can further add text, emojis, or draw on the GIF to customize it before sharing.
25. Add Events by Tapping on Dates
Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, casual meetups, and even work meetings—a lot is planned on WhatsApp. The next time someone shares a date for a meeting or an event, you can directly add it to your calendar from then and there.
Just tap on the date and your phone will prompt you to create a new event in your calendar app. You can then edit the event details, such as title, time, location, and add any additional notes. Once you’re finished, save the event to your calendar.
Whether this feature works can depend on your phone’s operating system and the date format used. For example, it works on my iPhone 13 but not on my Galaxy S23 Ultra. And, formats like “9 July 2024” and “9/7/2024” are recognized, but “July 9th” or “July 9” are not.
26. Delete Any Message as a Group Admin
If you’re a group admin, you likely understand how difficult it is to cope with spam messages. Thankfully, group admins can delete these messages for everyone in the group. Simply long-press the message in group chat (you can select multiple messages if needed), tap Delete, and choose Delete for everyone.
You’ll generally have a two-day window to delete a message for everyone. Others will be able to see that a message was deleted and by which admin.
27. Blur Parts of Image Before Sending
Want to hide something in an image? You don’t need to scribble around to obscure sensitive details. You can simply blur them out directly in WhatsApp:
- Open WhatsApp and select the image you want to send.
- Tap on the pencil icon in the top-right corner. Tap the pen scribble again (on Android).
- Select the mosaic blur tool (it looks like a dotted circle) at the bottom of your screen.
- Use your finger to blur out the desired parts of the image.
- Tap Done and send the image.
28. Send Messages Using Siri or Google Assistant
Feeling too tired to type? Use your phone’s voice assistant to send messages on WhatsApp without touching the device. All you need to do is say “Hey Siri, send a message to <contact name>” (here’s how to make Siri use WhatsApp instead of Messages) or “Hey Google, send a WhatsApp message to <contact name>.” Dictate your message, then confirm sending.
If it doesn’t work, check WhatsApp’s official guide to sending messages with Siri.
29. Prevent Others From Adding You to Groups
Many WhatsApp groups are created for spam, promotional message, and things you may not be interested in. To prevent others from randomly adding you to any such groups, go to WhatsApp Settings > Privacy > Groups. Choose the desired option:
- Everyone: Anyone can add you to a group.
- My Contacts: Only your saved contacts can add you to a group.
- My Contacts Except…: You can choose specific contacts who cannot add you to groups.
30. Read Deleted Messages (Android Only)
Anyone can delete their WhatsApp message after sending it, and if you’ve missed the window, you’ll never see what they sent you in the first place. However, there are tricks to read messages even after the sender has deleted them.
- Notification History: If your Android phone runs Android 11 or later, you can access the Notification History in your device’s settings. This log will contain the text of deleted WhatsApp messages, even after they’re removed from the chat. However, this feature must be enabled beforehand.
- Third-Party Apps: Third-party apps like WAMR: Recover Deleted Messages read your messages from notifications and store them based on your notification history. When a message is deleted, the app immediately sends you a notification. It also attempts to save any media attached to the message, including photos, videos, GIFs, audio, voice notes, documents, etc.
31. Search Chats By Date
WhatsApp now allows you to search for messages within a chat by date. This can help you find old conversations or specific messages and files shared on a particular day. Open a chat, tap the three dots menu, select Search, and then choose the Calendar icon. You can now select your desired date to view all messages sent and received on that day.
Bonus: Can You Unblock Yourself by Deleting and Recreating Your WhatsApp Account?
You might have seen many YouTube videos and online guides suggesting a trick where you delete and then recreate your WhatsApp account to unblock yourself from someone else’s list. However, we tried this, and it doesn’t work. If someone has blocked you, you will remain on their block list even after recreating your account.
In addition, trying this will result in losing your account information, all your groups, your entire message history (including cloud backups), and more. So, you cannot unblock yourself simply by deleting and recreating your WhatsApp account.
If you urgently need to talk to someone who has blocked you and has exhausted all other options, you can ask a mutual contact to create a group that includes you and the person who blocked you. This might allow you to communicate with them but remember to be respectful of their privacy.
Get More Out of WhatsApp!
With these WhatsApp tips and tricks, you can take your messaging game to the next level and make the most out of this powerful app. So why not give them a try? And if you have any other favorite tips or tricks, be sure to share them in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you.
