8 WhatsApp features you don’t know about and should use

Meta (formerly Facebook)’s messaging app is undoubtedly the most popular among smartphone users. The company is working to add new features, functions and options in order to continue leading the market.

This app “hides” many features and options that are not well known. Some of these are focused on simplifying or optimizing different actions, others on adding an extra layer of customization, and others focus on sharing useful information. We are going to tell you about 8 little-known functions or features that you will love.

Hide that you have read a message

When you read a message, a double blue check appears, forcing you to respond even if you don’t want to. There is a function that allows us to read messages without the double blue check appearing. To do this, just follow these steps:

1. Open the “Settings” option within WhatsApp.
2. Enter the “Privacy” section.
3. Tap the “Read Receipts” switch.

Now, when you receive a message and enter the conversation, they will no longer be able to tell if you have actually read it or not. It is a very useful feature, especially if you want to completely ignore the annoying friend we all have.

Pin important messages

One of the most useful and least known features is the ability to pin or highlight messages in a conversation. This is especially useful if we receive some information in a conversation that we will need in the future.

For Android devices, it’s as simple as holding down on the message to select it. A star icon will appear in the top bar and you simply tap on it. Now, if you want to recover that message, you simply need to access the profile of the user for whom you have marked the message and scroll down until you find the “Starred messages” option.

Custom notifications for each chat

Within the application we have the ability to modify the notifications and give them personalization. Specifically, the application allows you to assign a tone for each message or call from each of the contacts in your address book. This function can be used in the following way:

1. Open the chat of the contact you want to customize the notification for.
2. Click on the top bar to enter your contact settings panel.
3. Find the “Notifications” option and enter.
4. Inside you will see the options for “Notification tone” and below “Ringtone” for calls.

Now you can add the topic you like the most to notify us when that favorite contact sends us a message or calls us.

Simultaneous message to multiple contacts

We may have the case of needing to send a message to several contacts at once, for whatever reason. Instead of sending the message individually, we can send it to several contacts using the “Broadcast Lists” function. All members of this list will receive the message as if you had sent it to them individually. To create a list, we must follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots in the top right corner.
2. Within the menu now click on “New broadcast”.
3. Select all the contacts you want to send the message to.
4. Write the message you want to send and hit send.

Everyone will receive the message in a private chat and will respond individually. This guarantees the privacy of the contacts, since it is a more individualized way and does not create a group, which can become a problem.

Hide statuses from certain contacts

Something that not many people know is that we can manage who can see our statuses. We can also share statuses with a specific group of contacts. This feature is very useful to prevent certain people, such as your bosses or coworkers, from seeing certain information. To do this you must:

1. Go to WhatsApp “Settings”
2. Next, go to the “Privacy” section.
3. Click on the “States” option. Inside you will see three options:
   • My Contacts: Any of your contacts can see your statuses.
   • My contacts, except: allows you to add all those contacts that you do not want to see your status.
   • Share with only: Share with all contacts appearing in this list and not with other contacts.

Choose the option you want and, of course, add the contacts you like to each of these options.

Avatar or personalized sticker

Not many people know that you can create a personalized avatar or sticker on WhatsApp in a fairly simple way. To do this, we can take a selfie or do it manually. Once you have created it, you can use it in chats. The process is simple:

1. Open “Settings”.
2. Once inside, go to the “Avatar” option.
3. Next, tap on “Create your avatar.”
4. Follow the steps that appear on the screen.
5. Once finished you will have two options:
   • Browse Stickers: Here you will see the custom stickers and you can use them without any problems.
   • Create profile photo: allows you to select your avatar as your profile photo.

You can see that this process is quite simple and allows you to generate more personal stickers, as well as a profile avatar.

Real-time location

Have you ever had to meet a friend or acquaintance in an area you’ve never been before? It’s also useful to know where a family member is when they go on a long trip. The option to share your location in real time has many uses and it’s that simple:

1. Enter the chat of the contact with whom you want to share your real-time location.
2. Click on the button that appears in the message writing bar.
3. Now, you need to click on the “Location” option.
4. Inside you will see the option “Real-time location” and click on it.

The other person will receive a message that they can open and that will show them where we are and our location. This location is updated in real time.

Individual wallpaper for poop contact

WhatsApp offers us the possibility of having a personalized background for each contact. Many users are unaware of this option and tend to use the same one for all contacts. Setting it up is very simple:

1. Open the chat of the contact whose background we want to customize.
2. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner.
3. Go to the “Wallpaper” option.
4. Find the photo in your gallery that you would like to appear as your wallpaper and tap on it.

As you can see, this process is very simple, although it can be a bit tedious. We must carry out this process for each contact, so it will take a little while to do it for all your contacts.