Did you know you can have multiple accounts for WhatsApp on your Android device? And what about being able to lock some of your more private chats using your phone’s lock PIN or your fingerprint? Well, here are some important changes WhatsApp has made over the past few months that you need to know about.
Sending disappearing voice notes
Some of us love sending voice notes. And many could probably attest to sending that one voice note that you wish didn’t have to stick around. Well, as of December 2023 you can send a voice message that will disappear once listened to.
“For reading out your credit card details to a friend, or when you’re planning a surprise, you can now also share sensitive information over voice message with added peace of mind,” WhatsApp said via its blog.
“For consistency with View Once photos and videos, View Once voice messages are clearly marked with the “one-time” icon and can only be played one time.”
Using secret code to protect private chats
At the end of November 2023, WhatsApp launched a secret code, an additional way to protect private chats and make them harder to find if someone has access to your phone or if you share a phone with someone else.
“With a secret code you’ll now be able to set a unique password different from what you use to unlock your phone to give your locked chats an extra layer of privacy,” WhatsApp explained in a blog post.
“You’ll have the option to hide the Locked Chats folder from your chat list so that they can only be discovered by typing your secret code in the search bar. If that doesn’t suit your needs, you can still choose to have them appear in your chat list. Whenever there’s a new chat which you want to lock, you can now long press to lock it, rather than visiting the chat’s settings.”
According to WhatsApp, this feature has been very popular with the community.
You can lock a chat by tapping the name of a one-to-one or group and selecting the lock option. To reveal these chats, slowly pull down your inbox and enter your phone password or biometric.
Having multiple accounts on Android
In October 2023, WhatsApp introduced the ability to have two WhatsApp accounts on Android logged in at the same time. Those who had been using two separate apps could do away with one of them and switch between accounts – such as your work and personal. This means no longer having to carry two phones, or even accidentally sending the wrong message on the wrong account.
It is quick and easy to use. Simply open your WhatsApp settings, click on the arrow next to your name, and click “Add account”. You can control your privacy and notification settings on each account.
Keep up to date with Channels
If you are a frequent WhatsApp user, we don’t have to tell you much about Channels – a private broadcast service built into WhatsApp.
Launched in September last year, Channels allows you to follow your favourite sports team, news outlet or thought leader right within WhatsApp and receive broadcasted messages from them.
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