Whatsapp is an application used by more than 1 billion people worldwide (whatsapp website). I have been using this app for many years as it’s the easiest way to communicate with my family and friends who live in other countries. When I’m traveling, it works on Wi-Fi and doesn’t require a data plan. The app is an alternative to using the cellular carrier text/SMS messages and works across different mobile operating systems. As well, it can replace other applications like Skype and Facebook messenger. It is definitely an app that has saved users money that would have been spent on calling cards, data plans and international phone calls.After installing the app on your phone, the initial setup requires you to enter your cell phone number for verification. A tip: You don’t need to enter the same cell phone number as the number linked to the phone you are using. If you travel and switch SIM cards, you can continue to use the same phone even when your number has changed.
Once the app is installed, you can use it to contact anyone else who has the app installed. The app accesses the contacts that are already saved on your phone, and lets you know if that person is a whatsapp user or not. If the person doesn’t already have whatsapp installed, you have the option to invite that person to use whatsapp. They will need to download the app and set it up.
Main conversation screen
The bottom of the screen is where users can navigate between the different interfaces of the app. The main conversation screen is where users are most of the time. From there you can start a new conversation or continue a conversation already in progress. There are many icons which show the current status of conversations and messages that have been sent. Touching any of the names will open the conversation window to continue a conversation. If you have sent a message, check marks show the status of the messages: a single gray check means the message was sent, double gray checks mean it was delivered and double blue checks mean it was read.
If there are conversations that are important, they can be pinned to the top and not get lost as newer messages are delivered. As well, if there are conversations for which you don’t want to be alerted each time a message is received – this happens a lot with group conversations - the notification sounds and visual alerts can be muted. Swiping left or right on a conversation provides options to mute/un-mute, pin/un-pin, archive, delete etc. The content of a chat conversation can be exported and saved as a file with or without the photos and videos included. The saved file can be emailed or uploaded to a file sharing site. In addition to the usual one-on-one conversations with others, the app allows you to create or belong to groups or to send broadcast messages to many people at once. When sending a broadcast message, the people receiving the messages do not know who else received the message. In groups (like your siblings, cousins, classmates in INT100), everyone knows who else is in the group and can communicate with each other within the group conversation.
Individual Conversation Screen
While in a conversation, you can access and send the photos and videos saved on your phone. As well, you can take new ones to send using the camera on the phone. A handy feature if you’re meeting up with others is that you are able to share our current or live location – you won’t get lost! Double tapping on single messages in a conversation brings up more message options. You can tap info to see when the message was delivered and read, forward a single or multiple messages and star a message that you want to easily locate later. You can even delete an individual message, but remember that everyone in the conversation will get alerted that the message has been deleted.
You can also touch on the contact or group name at the top of the view to access information specific to that conversation. Here you can access all media, links and documents exchanged in the conversation. You can also search for specific words and phrases, see starred messages, mute notifications and select a custom tone for alerts when new messages are received.
Additional Functionality
One cool thing about Whatsapp is the ability to use it in a regular web browser on your computer. They’ve made it pretty simple to setup. You simply scan the code in the browser using the camera in whatsapp’s settings and tada! You are able to continue your conversations.
Over the last couple of years, Whatsapp has added more functionality to the app. In addition to sending voice notes as opposed to text, photos and videos, users are able to have voice and video calls with other whatsapp users. No need to try to figure out how to dial a UK phone number and country codes; the app takes care of that. Users can also share documents that are saved on the phone or in various cloud storage apps like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.
Recommendations
As simple as I feel this app is to use, my parents find it confusing. They are both able to send me a message and call me, but that’s where the ease of use ends for them. There is one thing that I feel is unnecessary in the app and could be completely removed, and that’s the status screen. Here you would go to add a temporary status. Though I have used it, I have yet to find a good use for it. When using Whatsapp for video or audio calls, if a regular phone call comes in the Whatsapp call automatically disconnects and doesn’t give an option to choose. This can be pretty inconvenient. One would think that the most used features would be placed in order, or centered on the bottom menu. For instance, the camera icon is front and center on the menu and I often touch is mistakenly. I feel that the chats icon should be centered or first. Quite a few times I have mistakenly called someone by accidentally touching the phone icon inside of a conversation. It’s easy to get to when you need it, but maybe it shouldn’t be as easy since there are two other ways to access it.
Conclusion
Whatsapp is a great app to use and I use it daily. It’s my go to communication tool that I use more than any other form of communication. I can go back to messages from years ago to find something, or simply get to saved URLS from previous conversations. With family in other countries and states, whatsapp has been a great application for keeping in touch.
References
Whatsapp website About Retrieved from https://whatsapp.com/about
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