To be honest, I didn’t like WhatsApp until last year and my friends kept on nagging me to download it. However, after using it for a couple of days, I became a fan. If there are some features that you don’t like on WhatsApp or if you’re looking for some cool WhatsApp tricks, then continue reading to find out the best tips, tricks and hacks for WhatsApp that you can use right now. WhatsApp is testing out encrypted cloud backups on Android Accept privacy terms or face limited functionality, says WhatsApp WhatsApp’s status flaw can be exploited by stalkers, says expert
WhatsApp tips, tricks, and hacks you never knew before
1. Hide WhatsApp Images And Videos From Appearing In Your Gallery
One of the most annoying things for me on WhatsApp is that it automatically shows images and videos in your phone’s Gallery. If you haven’t visited your Gallery app for a while, then you’ll find all those useless videos and images sent to you by your contacts. I’ve made a habit of going to my Gallery app every time someone sends me a useless image or video. If you’re doing the same, then there’s an easy way to hide these files from your Gallery. Your phone will still have these files and you’ll be able to use them later, but they won’t appear in your Gallery. Isn’t it an amazing WhatsApp trick?
Step 1
Open Notepad on your PC and create a new blank file.
Step 2
The saved file should now have a .txt extension. Change the name of this file to “.nomedia”. So, there is no file name and “.nomedia” is only the extension. The image below might make this more clear.
Step 3
Connect your Android device to your PC using a micro USB cable and transfer the “.nomedia” file to the WhatsApp folder. That’s it! Now you won’t see those annoying videos and images in your Gallery. In order to hide only images, transfer the “.nomedia” file to the WhatsApp Images folder, and in order to hide only videos, transfer this file to the WhatsApp Video folder. You’ll find these two folders under the Media folder in the WhatsApp folder on your phone.
2. Set WhatsApp Profile Picture As Your Local Contact’s Photo
This WhatsApp trick is easier than some of you might think. Simply go to the Profile Pictures folder in the WhatsApp folder on your phone. You’ll now see profile pictures of your WhatsApp contacts. Open the picture that you want to use and set it as a contact photo. That’s it!
3. Restore Older Messages
WhatsApp automatically backs up your messages, so in order to restore them, uninstall WhatsApp and install it again from the Google Play Store. Tap on the Restore button while setting up WhatsApp to get back your messages. If your older messages have not been restored, you’ll need to restore them manually. Follow the steps below to manually restore your older messages.
Step 1
If you don’t want your new messages to be lost, you’ll need to create a manual backup. Tap on Menu in WhatsApp, select Settings and go to Chat settings. Tap on Backup conversations.
Step 2
Once you’re done backing up, uninstall WhatsApp from your Android device.
Step 3
Go to the Databases folder in the WhatsApp folder on your phone. The new backup will either be saved as msgstore.db.crypt8 or msgstore.db.crypt7. In order to avoid further confusion, add “current” in the file name of the backup file. So, it either becomes msgstore.db.crypt8.current or msgstore.db.crypt7.current.
Step 4
While in the Databases folder, you’ll see other msgstore files with the date and year included in the file name. They will also be in a crypt7 or crypt8 format. You’ll need to decide which backup file you want to restore. Once you have selected the file, rename the file to msgstore.db.crypt7 or msgstore.db.crypt8 depending on whether the file was in crypt7 or crypt8 format. So, for instance, “msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt7” will become “msgstore.db.crypt7”.
Step 5
Install WhatsApp from the Google Play Store and tap on the Restore button during the setting up process in order to restore the old backup.
4. Lock WhatsApp
Privacy is one of the biggest issues that many WhatsApp users face. When someone takes your phone, they can easily read all your messages on WhatsApp. If you don’t use a password or pattern lock on your Android device, then you can easily lock WhatsApp using a third-party app.
Step 1
Download the WhatsLock app (free with some in-app purchases) on your Android device. You can get it through the Google Play Store button below.
Step 2
Open the app and create your new password. You’ll also need to enter an email ID for password recovery.
Step 3
Enable WhatsLock by turning the toggle to On. That’s it! Every time you open WhatsApp, you’ll need to enter the password that you set up earlier.
5. Share PDF, Zip And Other Files
You probably know that WhatsApp only lets users share certain types of files, such as images and videos. If you want to share other types of files, then follow the steps below.
Step 1
Install the CloudSend app (Free) on your Android device. You can get the app through the Google Play Store button below.
Step 2
Open the CloudSend app, go through the introduction screens and tap on Setup. You’ll now need to allow access on Dropbox for CloudSend.
Step 3
After allowing access, go to the file that you want to share, long press it and select the Share option. Select CloudSend from the list of options.
Step 4
The file will now start uploading, and once the process is complete, you’ll see a Send button below the file name in your notifications panel. Tap on the Send button below the file name and select WhatsApp. You can now select your desired contact for sending the link.
6. Send video as GIF
While you can directly send a GIF on Android, not many WhatsApp users know that they can send a video as GIF. You can send your favorite videos as a GIF on WhatsApp on the tap of a few buttons. Here’s how!
Step 1
Open the chat and select the video you want to send as a GIF
Step 2
Reduce the length of the video to 6s or lower by selecting the portion of the video you would like to send as GIF
Step 3
Tap the GIF icon next to the video icon and hit send The video will be sent as a GIF to the recipient. Isn’t it one of the coolest Android tricks?
7. Pay from WhatsApp
You can enable WhatsApp payments to make transactions easy and on-the-go. You can make transactions right from the WhatsApp chat without having to switch between digital wallet apps while chatting. Setting up WhatsApp payments is quite simple. Open WhatsApp > Tap the menu button on top right corner > Payments > Add payment method > Add your bank account by verifying your SMS. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
8. Hide blue ticks and secretly check anybody’s status
ever heard of Read receipts on WhatsApp? Read receipts are the indication of the status of your message. You must have noticed the tick marks near any WhatsApp message. Let’s understand the ticks at first. A single grey tick means the message has been sucvcessfullysent Two grey ticks means the message has been successfully delivered to the recipient Two blue ticks means the message has been read Now, the fun part is WhatsApp allows you to hide the blue ticks. You can do this by disabling Read receipts. When the Read receipts is disabled, neither you nor the recipient could see the status of the message. Even if the message is read, the ticks will only appear grey. Moreover, you can secretly see anybody’s status when Read receipts is disabled. You name will not be visible in the Viewed by list on their status. However, you won’t be able to see who viewed your status. Here’s how to disable read receipts.
Step 1
Open WhatsApp and go to Settings
Step 2
Tap Account
Step 3
Select Privacy
Step 4
Turn the Read receipts toggle switch off Voila! You can now hide blue ticks and secretly view anybody’s status. Note: Read receipts are always enabled for group chats and can’t be turned off. Also, play receipts for voice messages won’t be turned off with this setting.
9. Add chat shortcut to home screen
Do you ever run out of time to ping back someone on WhatsApp and later regret if you had replied earlier? Well, there’s a way you can text anybody on WhatsApp without opening the WhatsApp application. All you need to do is to add a shortcut of the chat to your Android phone’s home screen. Open the chat > Tap Menu button > More> Add shortcut. The chat shortcut will be there on the home screen. Move it to a place where you can easily open the chat from. Suggested reads: How to read deleted WhatsApp messages on Android? How to send media on WhatsApp without losing quality? Beware!!! A WhatsApp text bomb crashes the app and hangs your phone
Conclusion
WhatsApp is already an incredible app that lets you chat with your friends and other users. In order to take your WhatsApp experience to a new level, you can use these WhatsApp tips and tricks listed above. All the tricks mentioned above should work with most Android devices. Make sure that you follow all the instructions properly on the best tips, tricks and hacks for WhatsApp. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot them in the comments area below and let us know about your favorite WhatsApp tricks on Android.
