Communication apps are abundant on the Play Store, with a quality choice for all occasions, be it a chat platform like Facebook Messenger, a sleek project collaboration hub like Slack, or a versatile hybrid like Discord. Among them, WhatsApp is one of those ‘ol reliable communication apps that feels like it’s been around forever, bringing users a stable and feature-rich experience. However, WhatsApp’s broader features that either focus on other communication forms or optimize its core experience go largely unnoticed by plenty of users (myself included).
I found it astounding that an app I’d been using for years had so many cool, understated features that elevated the experience beyond text chats, like cultivating communities and optimizing contact list navigation. There’s something surprising about this familiar communication app you’ve used for years. Below are some of my favorite WhatsApp mechanics, all available on your brand-new budget Android phone.
1 Communities
Take part in a wider circle of collaboration
Connecting with others on a large scale is something that social media apps have baked into their core, and WhatsApp has the means to embrace this in a way that goes beyond group chats. The communities feature allows the user to sort and categorize smaller WhatsApp groups within larger ones, the creator being the primary moderator. These groups can be based on practically any topic and unite on a common theme, with room for up to 5000 members each. The community moderator can add, remove, create, delete, and merge all the smaller groups, filtering out any undesirable content.
Upon creation, users are given access to a general chat and announcements chat tab, as well as settings that dictate the information listed on the community home page, who can make changes, and whether the chats held within the community should be encrypted. Communities is a fantastic feature for coordinating with others on a large scale, easily sharing ideas and feedback in abundance for businesses and fandoms.
2 Chat shortcuts
Cut out the boring bit
Quickly accessing information is key to any communication service, yet the standard method of scrolling down an endless list to reach a single desired thread can be an exercise in tedium. WhatsApp’s chat shortcuts provide a useful way around this, allowing users to pin certain conversations as widgets on their home pages with zero lag or ceremony when opened. The feature can be easily accessed in the chat’s corner menu by scrolling down to “more.”
The action feels smooth and well-implemented like you plucked the tab from the app and put it somewhere more convenient. While the feature isn’t unique to WhatsApp and won’t explosively impact the way the app functions, these widgets assist in sidestepping one of the more irritating aspects of navigating a list of contacts; it’s ideal for those with one or two contacts.
You can also jump to your recent chats in the app icon’s quick action, directly from your app drawer or home screen, another speedy way to access your conversations on any device.
3 Call link
Conference calls made simple
Connecting multiple devices for conference calls on the same service is nothing new for communication apps; these days, the absence of this functionality would be surprising. Call Links provides conference call mechanics similar to Zoom or Microsoft Teams, capable of creating video and pure audio calls that can hold up to 32 users. The app generates a link for the call that can be shared across multiple social media services, either by copying and pasting or linking to another service directly.
The call interface itself is fairly standard for apps like Zoom, with buttons for toggling audio and visual input, spinning the camera around, hanging up, and inviting more people. While it doesn’t bring anything unique to the table, WhatsApp’s call links are appealingly simple and far less of a hassle than some of its contemporaries. I’m amazed this feature isn’t popular for job interviews, given its ease of access and familiarity.
4 Channels
Stay in the loop
WhatsApp channels can be accessed easily via the updates tab on the mobile app, granting access to a huge library of themed news feeds designed for sharing news updates, article links, and engaging with polls. The channels are anonymous and one-way, meaning only the moderators can post content directly to them, leaving users the ability to like or dislike posts and vote in polls.
Since the posts don’t have any comment sections, this feature doesn’t feel like a traditional forum or social media fan page, but more like a themed mobile newsletter that covers topics of interest to you. Channels are relegated to the updates tab, so they don’t interfere with your main WhatsApp chat library, meaning you can enjoy the feature passively with notifications informing you of any interesting developments.
5 Export Chat
Just in case
Ending on an interesting one, Export chat allows users to download the contents of an entire chat as a compressed txt file that can be shared and extracted into programs like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The resultant record displays the chat’s text along with the exact date and time of each message, although images, gifs, and voice notes are omitted entirely.
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While WhatsApp is pretty good at backing up a user’s chats, transitioning between devices can result in the loss of chat archives. This mechanic comes in handy for backing up the details of important chats, be it for the protection of important business conversations or as evidence of harassment.
Just make sure to keep in mind that WhatsApp backups now count against your Google Drive storage limit, so if you plan to export media-heavy conversations that go back years, keep in mind this will eat your Drive storage quickly.
A communication app that’s still full of surprises
Of the communication apps I frequently use, WhatsApp has always been a favorite for its wealth of handy personalization options and variety of file-sharing options; it is nice to know that the app can still surprise me and that it’s improving as the years go by. The communication app scene is more competitive now than ever before, with each service pushing the boundaries and improving with user feedback. And given the considerable amount of interesting updates on the way for WhatsApp, I’d recommend keeping an eye on it.
