Upgrade Your Digital Life in 2 Minutes — WhatsApp

Spoiler: this article will be as lively as a 3 a.m. chat and as useful as a 7 a.m. workout. Let us begin.

You open that familiar green icon every day. You type “OK,” and “got it”. You receive tons of memes and voice messages from your aunt. You are a WhatsApp user at the “beginner” level. And yet this messenger is a genuine Swiss Army knife—if you know where its hidden blades are.

We will not discuss the obvious. We will dissect it like special agents and uncover features that even the most talkative contacts in your chats rarely mention. Are you ready to move from the “user” level to the “Jedi” level?

Spoiler: you will learn how to become invisible, send self-destructing messages, almost read minds, and protect yourself from digital pirates. And yes, all of this is built into the app. The developers have simply hidden the “on” buttons with great ingenuity.

Part 1: Camouflage — or How to Dissolve into the Digital Crowd

Are you aware that WhatsApp constantly reports on you? It tells everyone when you were last online, shows your photo to anyone who has your number, and helpfully displays those annoying blue checkmarks that scream: “He read it! He is ignoring you!”

Let us get rid of that. The first rule of the WhatsApp club is: you do not talk about being online.

Step 1: Activate Ghost Mode

Go to Settings → Privacy. This is where the power lies.

1. Last Seen → Nobody. Let everyone wonder whether you are alive.
2. Profile Photo → My Contacts or Nobody. Let only the chosen few see your face, not a random taxi driver from yesterday’s ride.
3. About and Status — configure them by the same principle. Your life is not a public diary.

Here is the main paradox: when you disable Read Receipts, you also stop seeing blue checkmarks from others. The price of anonymity is ignorance. But is that not the pleasure of it?
To toggle this: Settings → Privacy → Read Receipts.

Step 2: Block the Spam Armies

Have you ever been added to “Courtyard Moms Chat No. 5” or a “Crypto Earnings” broadcast? This is treatable.

Settings → Privacy → Groups → My Contacts.
Now a stranger cannot simply shove you into a dubious group. You will receive an invitation, which you can politely ignore.

Part 2: Superpowers for Chats — You Had No Idea This Was Possible

Do you still write plain text and fear voice messages? Then you are doing it wrong.

Superpower No. 1: Formatting Is Magic

Want to add nuance to your text? Very simple.

1. Bold — wrap words in asterisks
2. Italic — use underscores
3. Strikethrough — surround text with tildes (~)

No spaces between the symbol and the word. This is your new secret weapon for business correspondence and arguments about TV series.

Superpower No. 2: Taming Voice Messages

Do you hate long voice messages? Tap the message while listening—speed controls appear (1x, 1.5x, 2x). Switch to 1.5x or 2x. Your interlocutor will sound like a fast-paced announcer, and three minutes of boredom will turn into 90 seconds that pass unnoticed.

When recording, press and hold the microphone and slide your finger upward—recording locks, and you can speak without holding the screen. Changed your mind? Swipe toward the trash icon. You are the director.

Superpower No. 3: A Chat with Yourself — Brilliant

Yes, it is legal. Create a chat with your own number (when starting a new chat, you will see “Message Yourself”). This is the perfect notebook for urgent thoughts, shopping lists, and saved links. Your personal, encrypted landfill of brilliant ideas.

Superpower No. 4: Favorites — Your Digital Safe

Long-press any message → Add to Favorites. An address, a password, a borscht recipe, a compliment from your boss—everything in one place. Find it under Settings → Starred Messages.

Part 3: Security — So You Don’t End Up in the Crime News

WhatsApp is not just for cat pictures. Cyber pirates live here too. Your task is not to become easy prey.

Weapon No. 1: Two-Step Verification — Mandatory

Without it, your account is like a house with the key under the doormat.

Enable it here:
Settings → Account → Two-Step Verification → Enable.

Create a PIN code. If someone tries to register your number on a new device, this code will be required—even if an attacker intercepts the SMS. Done? Exhale. You are about 90% protected.

Weapon No. 2: Control the Media Chaos

By default, all photos and videos download to your phone and clog its memory. Disable auto-download:
Settings → Storage and Data → Media Auto-Download.

For mobile data and roaming, turn everything off. Let every file ask permission before settling in your gallery.

Weapon No. 3: Self-Destruction — Not Only for “Mission: Impossible”

Some messages should not live forever. Enable a timer:
Settings → Privacy → Disappearing Messages → Timer (24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days).

Everything sent after activation will disappear automatically. Or for a single strike: when sending a photo or video, tap the “1” icon—it will vanish after being viewed.

A real-life note: Azerbaijan’s Electronic Security Service has recently raised the alarm—WhatsApp attacks have increased. Scammers send links, extract SMS codes, hijack accounts, and then ask your contacts for money. Their main weapon is trust in your name.

Protection is simple:

1. Never. To anyone. Send SMS codes.
2. Enable two-step verification (see above).
3. Tell your parents and grandparents about this.

Part 4: Tricks for Lazy Geniuses

1. Reply to a specific message: swipe right on it, or long-press and tap the arrow. Ideal for group arguments.
2. Share live location: tap the paperclip (Android) / plus (iOS) → Location → Share Live Location. Choose duration (15 minutes, 1 hour, 8 hours). Now you can be found if you get lost in a mall or are on your way to a meeting.
3. Mark chats as unread: long-press a chat → Mark as Unread. The red dot will remind you to reply later.
4. Archive chats: long-press → Archive. The chat disappears from the main list but is not deleted. Out of sight, but not out of existence.

Your 2-Minute Checklist

Highly recommended to do this right now:

1. Settings → Privacy: hide Last Seen and Profile Photo.
2. Settings → Account → Two-Step Verification: enable it and create a PIN.
3. Settings → Storage and Data → Media Auto-Download: disable for mobile data.
4. Memorize formatting symbols: bold, italic, strikethrough.
5. Learn to speed up voice messages (tap the message → change speed).

Done. You have just upgraded your WhatsApp from zero to advanced user. Now you are not merely sending messages. You are managing attention, time, and security. And that, colleagues, is true digital magic.