Over a billion people use WhatsApp, and over 42 billion messages are sent everyday. The the end-to-end encrypted freeware platform has been a key player in breaking down boundaries in communications and has taken on many forms in its lifetime.
The present day version of the app is almost unrecognisable from its founding in 2009 by two former Yahoo! employees, Brian Acton and Jan Koum. Since then the platform has gone on to become one of the main platforms that we use to communicate with each other.
One of the things that originally made WhatsApp so different from traditional phone communications was that it utilised the internet to send and receive both messages and calls. In the early days of WhatsApp many phone still hinged on the idea of needing minutes or texts to send their communications. WhatsApp negated this, needing only an internet connection.
The company was purchased by Facebook back in 2014 for approximately $19.3 billion, and has since gone on to experience even more changes. So if you haven’t used the app for some time now or if you’ve never used it before, then check out CBR’s hand tips for how to use Whatsapp.
First of all you’re going to need to download the app. WhatsApp is currently available on all major devices and is compatible with iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows, Nokia, and Mac/Desktop, so you should have no trouble finding the software.
Once you’ve downloaded and installed you’ll have to create your account, which is easy enough to do. Simply open the app, follow the on screen instructions and enter your phone number. Next you’ll soon be sent a verification code that should arrive immediately, input this code and you are good to go.
Now that you’re on the service you’ll want to get started right away. To do this look through your contacts on the app and it will tell you which are using Whatsapp and which are yet to get it. To send a message, select the person you want to speak to and type away, just like you would with a text.
You can also use Whatsapp to send videos or images, either from your phones internal storage or by capturing new photos or footage via the devices camera. The app can also be used to make calls, to these contacts, just like any phone call.
The app requires a connection to either 4G or WiFi to be used but doesn’t rely on a standard phone network signal. This also means that if you’re on WiFi then the app won’t eat into your data, texts, or minutes, making it a handy and cost effective solution.
From the home screen you can also update your about me. Your about me is a small message that will appear on your profile to let your contacts know what you’re up to. By default there will be a message saying that you’re using Whatsapp so don’t worry if you don’t want to update it, it’s completely optional. You can also import all of your relevant information from Facebook at the touch of a button.
One of the newest additions to Whatsapp is ‘Status’ this is a feature not dissimilar from Snapchat or Instagram and Facebook stories. Status allows users to upload or take a picture to their profile that will be viewable by contacts for a limited time only before it disappears. A popular feature in social media that shows now sign of slowing down.
There are plenty of other fun features on Whatsapp to experiment with, but now that you know the basics you’ll have no time getting to grips with them.
