On Tuesday, WhatsApp unveiled a number of new privacy features, including the option for users to check their messages secretly, exit groups quietly and block screenshotting of “View Once” messages.

WhatsApp Updates

Currently, leaving a WhatsApp group conversation might be difficult because the entire chat receives a notification when you leave. It may be aggravating in bigger gatherings as well. However, soon only the admins will be notified when someone leaves the group, as opposed to everyone else. This month, the functionality will go out to all WhatsApp users.

You can currently hide your online status. The messenger now allows you to conceal your “Online” indicator, when before users could only hide their “Last Seen” status. The ‘Online’ status indication on WhatsApp may now be shared with anybody the user chooses. The last saw online status can be totally hidden from everyone, only unidentified numbers, certain contacts, or nobody. Under the last seen settings, the feature will include a new “Who can see when I’m online” option with the choices “Everyone” and “Same as Last Seen.”

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta said the company would “keep building new ways to protect your messages and keep them as private and secure as face-to-face conversations.”

End-to-end encryption, which allows only the sender and recipient of a message to access its contents, is something WhatsApp has long bragged about using. Additionally, it currently enables users to send messages that vanish after a certain amount of time, just like other private messaging services.

Users can transmit media files that can only be seen once by using View Once messaging. However, view-once images were not completely failsafe because it was still possible to snap screenshots of the media file. In order to prevent individuals from capturing screenshots of their photographs, WhatsApp is implementing a feature that will block screenshots of “View once” messages, providing much-needed privacy for its users.

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How to Add WhatsApp Chat to Your Website- WordPress.

Are looking for a way to add WhatsApp chat to your website, read on.

With WhatsApp, users may initiate a discussion or chat with your phone number right from your website. The majority of individuals utilize this as an accessible form of communication when using an instant messaging program worldwide. Utilizing WhatsApp is simple. Instead of filling out contact forms and waiting for emails, visitors who have queries may rapidly obtain replies.

The app is used to communicate with friends, family, and organizations. It serves as a platform for companies to have frank, open, and casual dialogues with their clients. For this reason, you should add WhatsApp chat to your website.

Why Use WhatsApp instead of Live Chat buttons.

Maintain Chat after They’ve left your site.
You won’t be able to get in touch with a website visitor who uses live chat after they depart. Customers also tend to depart more quickly than before since their patience is getting shorter by the day. Unless you have unlimited time to respond promptly.

However, a visitor who contacts you over WhatsApp has the same experience without having to wait on your website for a response. They have a better experience as a result, and you have more time to respond.

Personalized Conversations
Live chat has evolved into a communication tool that many firms regard similarly to email, while it formerly seemed casual and personable. For website visitors, this lessens its allure and uniqueness.

On the other hand, WhatsApp is an app that we all use daily to communicate with our friends and family. By integrating your company into that setting, you inevitably develop a more intimate connection with your clientele. especially if you are able to respond quickly and in an informal manner.

However, if you don’t want personalized conversations with clients, you should stick to the general live chat option. To install live chat on your WordPress website, read this article

To add WhatsApp chat to your website on WordPress, we’ll need a plugin. There are multiple plugins you can use to achieve this but the best in my opinion is the Click to Chat Plugin. It is simple to set up and within minutes, your button is ready.

To install,

  • Click on Plugins > Add New
  • Search Click to chat in the search bar and click on Install
  • After installation, click on Activate. The plugin settings options can be found on the left menu panel under Settings.
  • Click on it to set up.
  • On the Click to chat Interface, type your WhatsApp business number. Include the country code without the + sign, e.g. 23354123123.
  • Add a prefilled message. This message will pop up and be sent to the visitor as soon as they click on the WhatsApp button. For example, “Thanks for contacting us, how may we help you?” This helps personalize the chat.
  • If you want to add a Call to Action that will display alongside the button, then you can do so. It’s not necessary to add that. I personally don’t use it because it can take space on the web page.
  • Now choose the style of button you want to be displayed on your website. You can customize for both desktop and mobile phones, giving you the flexibility to consider screen sizes for all devices.
  • Finally, select the position of the button. Ideally, buttons should be displayed at the bottom right of the screen. That’s because it is the least intrusive position on a web page, and not likely to block any contact.
  • Click on Save Changes to officially add WhatsApp chat to your website.

You now have WhatsApp live chat active on your website. Be sure to not use a personal number or personal WhatsApp account, as you’re essentially making yourself easy to reach. Install and use WhatsApp for all business chats and calls. If you faced any challenges in adding WhatsApp chat to your website or you have any questions, let us know in the comments below!

WhatsApp Released Some Quality of Life Updates this week

 

WhatsApp released some great updates this week after testing them on the beta version for some time now. The new version allows you to have more precise control over who may see information that you don’t want everyone to see. In general, you may select to reveal your profile photo, last seen information, and status updates to everyone, all of your contacts, or no one. A new “My contacts excluding…” option has been added in the latest release.

According to the announcement tweet, WhatsApp users may now configure their Profile Picture, Last Seen, and other contact data to appear to all contacts save a few pre-selected ones who will not see these aspects despite being contacts, thanks to the new option.

Another new feature in the latest upgrade is the ability to mute a member in a group call. You may silence them, and the participant can even mute himself. This feature is beneficial since it will aid in improved communication and comprehension of the issue being discussed during the conversation. This update will make it easier for you to host business meetings. There have been multiple instances where some participants forget to mute themselves creating chaos during the meeting.

During the group calls, you may also send messages to a participant. This is useful when you want to send a note to another participant to correct something or joke about something only you and your friend would understand. 

When a new person joins the call, you will be alerted by an indicator.

These new upgrades will be rolled out to all devices over time. On any device, users will be able to join group calls on WhatsApp. This new WhatsApp version will be available to all users, regardless of whether they have an Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac. It may take some time for this update to reach all devices, but it is being worked on quickly, and it is expected to be accessible to all users by the end of the year.

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WhatsApp Finally Has Reactions- What Implications Does it Have for Messaging?

WhatsApp as Notes App?—More Than A Messaging App

WhatsApp as Notes App?—More Than A Messaging App

WhatsApp is a messaging app. Let me get that out the way. What if I told you WhatsApp could be better than, hear me out, the default Notes app on your phone? In this article, I’ll talk about setting it up and the pros of WhatsApp over your Notes app.

Using WhatsApp as your Notes app may sound Ludacris, but it makes perfect sense. Basically, all you’ll be doing is messaging yourself, which feels like a waste of time. WhatsApp doesn’t have this as a feature as of 2022, but there are ways around it.

Things WhatsApp can do that your default Note apps can’t

  • You can keep media pictures and videos, etc.
  • You can record information you need to keep but wouldn’t be able to type.
  • Save important voice notes.
  • Your notes are encrypted by WhatsApp. Your regular Notes app can save your data, but they are not encrypted. Some notepad apps can do this but at a fee.
  • You can access it on any device WhatsApp is compatible with, as long as you regularly back up your chats.

How to Create A Chat with yourself.

  • Creating a New Contact

The trick here is to create a contact with your mobile phone number and save it. Allow WhatsApp to re-sync your contacts and check for your phone number. Tap on the floating button to create a new chat and select the new contact. From here, you don’t have to do this every time you need to start a note. You can view the chat from the chat screen

  • Creating a Group Chat

So this method will create a group chat with yourself as the only member. WhatsApp won’t allow you to create a group chat with just you, so you can add at least one of your contacts and then remove them quickly. Once they’re gone, the group will still stand with you being the only participant. You can repeat this method severally if you want to have your notes themed. You can have Reminders, Important, Memes, Recipes, etc., as different groups and use them accordingly. If you want to share a particular theme group with another person, you can add them as a participant.

  • Using a Chat Link

As of 2020, WhatsApp added a chat link feature that allowed users to start chats with other users. You do not have to have their contact information on your phone to message someone. You can use that to create a chat with yourself. The format for the link is wa.me/phonenumber. Replace the “phone number” with your phone number with your country code. Type this in your browser, and within seconds, WhatsApp will open, creating a new chat with yourself.

WhatsApp can be a free notes app with advantages over many default Note apps and many others in the Store. Be sure to give this a try and let us know in the comments what you think.

WhatsApp Finally Has Reactions- What Implications Does it Have for Messaging?

The global number one messaging app WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that will allow users to react to messages in individual and group chats. This feature had already been rolled out in other Meta apps like Facebook and Instagram, and it doesn’t come as a surprise we’re seeing this feature on WhatsApp.

Reactions have become huge in other social media apps over the past few years. Why use words or type emojis to express love for a cute video of a baby your partner sent when you can choose that expression among the list of reactions. This will change how we use WhatsApp from now on.

All you need to do to use a reaction is to long-tap on a message. Six reaction emojis will pop up, and then you can tap on the reaction you want to use. In group chats, there is a reaction count that displays at the bottom of the message bubble. It’ll save time in typing out words to react to messages. You can respond to a funny message with the laughter emoji or agree to vacation plans with a thumbs-up emoji.

The reactions can also serve as a poll tool in group chats. Say a group of friends are having trouble choosing a vacation destination. The group can express their opinion by reacting to messages with positive reactions. Since there’s a count on reactions used, the organizer can then go with what the majority wants.

This modification allows anyone to see precise reactions to each image or video in a gallery without opening the album, in case you missed it in previews. Instead of only displaying the emojis that each user has used, WhatsApp will display a thumbnail for each piece of media that has been liked — all on a single page that exists outside of the gallery.

This wouldn’t be the first time Meta is crossing over features from another of their apps and definitely wouldn’t be the last. The Reactions is a welcome feature on WhatsApp though and I’m looking forward to seeing what more WhatsApp can do with this.