How To Use Whatsapp Android

With more than two and a half billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is i of the virtually successful apps ever made and the premier method of communication across borders. WhatsApp offers VOIP calls, video calling, and gratis messaging. Any international friend or family unit fellow member tin simply say "WhatsApp me" — and we know that when a visitor becomes a verb, it has truly entered the zeitgeist.

Want to get in on the WhatsApp craze? We put together this quick guide to get yous started using WhatsApp messenger on iOS, Android, or desktop in a few easy steps.

What's new with WhatsApp?

WhatsApp is updated often with new features and enhancements. For those using iOS 14, WhatsApp contacts now appear as suggestions in the share sheet as you share content from other apps. New search options let you filter by author and content type, so y'all can easily find specific chats or images yous're looking for. The app likewise instituted new privacy settings that permit you to command who can add you to groups, and admins can send you a individual invite. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Groups to get started.

WhatsApp added call-waiting support, so you lot tin accept incoming WhatsApp calls while on another call. Y'all can now send messages from the Braille keyboard when using VoiceOver style, as well. And now, enabling Low Data Mode will disable media auto-download.

Recent WhatsApp updates have included new animated sticker packs, QR code contact scanning, and Nighttime mode for WhatsApp Web and Desktop. But perhaps the biggest change is that the maximum number of video and voice call participants has doubled from 4 to eight. In video calls, you can now press and concur to maximize a participant's video, and the video chat icon is added automatically to grouping chats of eight people or less, so you tin start a video call with ane tap.

Downloading and installing the app

WhatsApp is available from all popular app stores for all the major platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Mac and PC. The app is completely free. Just install and launch it as you lot would any other smartphone app. You lot will be asked a series of set-up questions, including your phone number and country code, and whether y'all would like notifications.

If yous've used WhatsApp before, yous may be asked if y'all want to restore your chat history. This is your only opportunity to do that. If it's your outset time using the app, y'all can Skip Restore if it comes upwardly. Then enter your name and profile picture and allow WhatsApp to access your contacts.

The app will send you an SMS message to verify your phone number and state code when you type in your phone number. Y'all tin can re-do the number if you make a mistake.

Setting upwards your account

Let WhatsApp to admission your contacts and your photos.
Tap in your proper name and add together an image as an avatar.
Once you lot're finished punching in your details, you're fix to chat.

Adjusting your settings

At the bottom right of the screen, yous'll see the Settings tab, which lets you edit your profile in the Well-nigh department.

Aside from adding an avatar to your name and number, yous can too personalize the About description. The default status on your profile is, "Hey in that location, I am Using WhatsApp" and that can get a little erstwhile, specially if nearly of your contacts didn't carp to modify information technology either. Don't exist that person. Change your status to anything you lot desire, or even use some of the pre-made statuses if you don't experience like making up a new one. WhatsApp has enough of choices including: Available, Decorated, At schoolhouse, At piece of work, In a coming together, Battery about to die, Sleeping, and a bunch more than.

In the Settings pane under Edit Profile, locate the About line and tap.
You'll see the Currently Prepare To status and you tin choose from the pre-made ones.
You tin also write an original status if y'all prefer.
Your condition will merely be updated on other people'due south phones when they turn on information or Wi-Fi.

Changing your phone number

If you take a new number and need to change it on WhatsApp, it's easy to do. Just click on the Three Dots at the top right of your WhatsApp screen so selectSettings >Account >Change Number. The app notifies you lot that changing your telephone number volition migrate your account info, groups, and settings. Y'all'll nonetheless have access to all your old messages. Make certain your new phone is set and able to receive SMS or calls. If you have both a new phone anda new number, you'll need to change your number on your former telephone first. TapNext, then enter your sometime phone number and new number, and so tapNext to ostend the change.

Determining privacy levels

WhatsApp gives you lot a range of choices near who can meet you and how much information the app can divulge nigh your activities. Yous tin can set Last Seen, Profile Photograph, Almost, and Status to be seen by everyone, only your contacts, or no ane. Last Seen shows when yous were last logged into the app. It also indicates your live location, if yous have that enabled in your smartphone settings. You can also choose who tin see your status updates. Plus, yous tin can utilize privacy settings to block contacts. A blocked person cannot call or send messages to you — but the app won't notify them they have been blocked. Instead, they will merely come across one light-green cheque marking to indicate their message has been sent (and not the second check marking to indicate commitment). They too won't be able to see your Last Seen or Online status or view your profile picture.

The Read Receipts feature, which you tin can enable via a checkbox, sends notifications when either you or your contacts read a message sent past the other. When off, yous volition not send or receive receipts, except in group chats.

Adding new contacts

To view contacts in WhatsApp, you lot don't have to do much. That's considering all your contacts who use WhatsApp are already known without your having to add them manually. WhatsApp defines contacts past phone number, so anyone in your address book who has their phone number on WhatsApp is immediately revealed when you join. Withal, you may want to invite contacts who are not already on WhatsApp, as well as people y'all know who are not currently in your contact list. To add friends to your WhatsApp contacts, practise the following:

Tap the Chats icon at the bottom correct.
Tap New Contact.
Add the name and phone number of that person.
You can at present as well add friends past tapping the QR Code symbol to the right of New Contact and scanning their QR lawmaking.
You tin invite a new user by scrolling downward to the lesser of the window and tapping Invite Friends to WhatsApp, where you can cull to transport an electronic mail or text message invite.

If you lot are adding an international friend, brand sure to practice the following.

When adding the contact'due south telephone number to your address book, kickoff with a plus sign (+).
Type the land code, a nation-specific numerical prefix, followed by the phone number. Search online to find the proper country code if you don't know it.
Remove whatsoever leading zeros or calling codes from the actual phone number after entering the state code.

Showtime chatting

Chatting is the easy part because all you have to do now is select your friend, and start yapping. As you showtime your conversation, you will run across an alarm telling you lot that your communication is encrypted so that no one volition always be able to view or mind in on your conversation. Your friend gets a notification on their telephone that you've sent them a message, and so it goes.

Select the person you want to chat with.
Tap the chat box at the lesser of the screen.
Type in your message and experience free to add emojis, images, videos, or vocalism messages using the icons to the right of the chatbox. The little foursquare lets you add together a sticker. The camera lets yous add a photo or video, and the microphone lets you printing and hold to immediately tape a voice message in the app. You can also format your text with bold, italic, strikethrough, or code.
Then tap the pointer icon to send.

Merely what if you desire to send a bulletin to more one person? There are two means to practise that: Form a grouping or broadcast to a group. Which selection yous choose depends on how you lot want to communicate and what response y'all seek. The divergence between grouping messages and circulate messages is that with group letters, it can be a costless-for-all — everyone can talk to everyone else in a costless commutation. With broadcast list letters, information technology's more of a top-down communication — y'all are speaking to a group, simply they can answer only individually and privately to you lot and not to each other.

Forming a group

Group chats allow you share messages, photos, and videos with up to 256 people at one time. Yous can too name your grouping, mute or customize notifications, and more than. A group setting that lets only admins ship messages to a grouping can streamline communications in specific circumstances.

Tap the NewChats icon.
TapNew Group.
Add all the participants y'all want to include (up to 256).
Tap Next.
Add a subject for the chat and an icon.
Tap Create.sa
In the resulting chat dialog, begin your encrypted bulletin with stickers, images, or a phonation message.

You can easily start a video or voice call in your grouping for groups of viii participants or less. Merely tap the Video Camera icon at the top correct of your grouping chat to start a video call or the phone symbol to offset a voice call.

Using broadcast lists

The WhatsApp's Broadcast List feature lets yous send a single message to multiple contacts who will not see that the message has been sent to others. Only contacts with your number in their address book can receive your circulate letters and they tin can only reply to yous individually via chat, equally opposed to group messages.

Backing up your chats

Say you're finished chatting. Now what? After your chats are over, you can cull how to dispose of them. Chats are immediately stored in your handset retention. But y'all can be more systematic almost it and back upward your chats automatically or manually by tapping the Backup button. You lot can besides cull to include videos or not. For iPhones, you can backup to iCloud; with Android, you lot can back upwards to Google Drive. WhatsApp advises disabling cellular data when backing up to or restoring chats from iCloud or Google Drive, since that activity may involve data charges. You tin also annal, clear, or delete all chats if you no longer need them.

Get to Settings and tap Chats.
Tap Back Up Now.
Use the slider to include videos or not.

Updating your status

Y'all tin can utilize the Condition pane to update your status. Status updates elapse after 24 hours.

Tap the Condition pane.
Tap the Pencil icon.
Tap the paint palette icon to set different background colors.
Use the keyboard to tap out your message.
Use the Type tool to change fonts.
You tin can also prepare a photo, video, or emoji as your condition update.

Syncing with Mac or Windows

With WhatsApp installed on your telephone, you can access a spider web version of the app that mirrors your chat, group, and broadcast activities. You can utilize the web interface on your Mac or Windows computer in major browsers to chat, simply y'all tin't make phone calls. You can besides switch on desktop notifications for alerts to incoming WhatsApp messages.

Click the WhatsApp download link to download and install WhatsApp on your computer.
Open WhatsApp Web in your browser.
When you get the QR code prompt, use the mobile app'southward scanner to browse it.
You volition then exist able to admission your conversation history and send and receive letters within the spider web interface.

Changing your wallpaper

WhatsApp allows yous to fully personalize your feel through a variety of themes, colors, and backgrounds. You can choose from their library of visuals, opt for a solid background, or even upload your photos as a wallpaper.

Customizing your look is easy. From the settings page, choose Chats > Chat wallpaper and pick from the Wallpaper Library , Solid Colors , or one of your photos.

Bottom line

WhatsApp Messenger is one of our favorite messaging apps considering information technology's convenient, and you can speedily acquire more avant-garde capabilities. Earlier you dive headfirst into the advanced features, we recommend getting comfortable with its bones functionality, like calls and texts. From there, you'll be more set to explore themes and other options.

These features allow the opportunity to update your status, send messages to groups, and communicate with groups, all while keeping everything encrypted. You tin practise all of this without spending a dime.

Editors' Recommendations

Google Pixel 6a could fix the Pixel 6'due south biggest pain betoken
How Google plans to improve video capturing on Snapchat, Instagram
Verizon 5G Phone Deals: Get an iPhone 13, Galaxy S22 for complimentary
Android xiii: Everything we know then far about the upcoming OS
Motorola's new Smart Stylus, folio case bring new functionality to the Border+