WhatsApp tips & tricks: 5 ways you can make most of the instant messaging app

WhatsApp is possibly one of the simplest instant messaging apps. The company also takes its time to update WhatsApp with new features. But there is a lot that users can do on WhatsApp which they may not be aware of.

WhatsApp has a bunch of features which may not offer much customisation but make the app more interactive. There's additional security with two-step verification, adding contacts to home screen, custom notifications, and more. Here's a look at five tips and tricks for every WhatsApp user.

Two-step verification

WhatsApp offers a seamless way of switching phones while retaining your account and chats. It also requires users for a verification PIN every time they register WhatsApp on a new phone. For additional security, users can enable two-step verification on WhatsApp. This will add a six-digit PIN for the registration of WhatsApp on a new device. To do this, go to Settings > Account > Two-step verification.

Add WhatsApp contacts to home screen

WhatsApp has this feature where users can add contacts or groups to their phone's homescreen. This enables a shortcut to the chat without having to open the app. For this, users need to choose the contact, open the settings menu, click on more and add shortcut. The WhatsApp contact shortcut will be automatically added to the homescreen.

Custom notifications for contacts

If you're bored with the same notification tone on WhatsApp, you can change it up by adding custom notifications. This can be done for individual and group chats on WhatsApp. Tap on the profile of the WhatsApp contact, scroll down and select custom notifications. Once you turn it on, you can change the notification tone, vibrate mode, popup notification, light and high priority notifications.

Free up space

WhatsApp lets users store data on their accounts and unless users delete them it just keeps piling up. WhatsApp's data storage features offer easy ways for users to manually check and delete data. Under the settings menu open data and storage usage. Here, you will see contacts ranked according to the most data exchanged. You can also check individual chats and delete data to clear up space.

View unknown contacts

It's easy to identify an unknown number on WhatsApp by simply tapping on their profile. This can also be done for unknown numbers in group chats. If there's a certain user you would like to know about you can long press on the number and select 'message contact'. Here a new chat box will open and you will be able to see the contact details.