Precautions while using WhatsApp

1. WhatsApp is an instant messaging app for smartphones that operates under a subscription business model. The proprietary, cross platform app uses the Internet to send text messages, images, video, user location and audio media messages. WhatsApp has more users in India than any other country in the world. .....

Wi Fi networks

2. Many people prefer using Whatsapp via Wi Fi in restaurants and shopping centers that ensure and accelerate the speed of the connection, however, it is important to take into consideration do not send information about financial transactions, passwords, compromising photos or videos as this information can be captured and used against you. The information you send can be captured through programs called sniffers which no devise can detect. .....

Messages

3. When using Whatsapp send messages that you are sure you want to send. If you regret sending a message and want to delete it, you will have the option to delete, which facilitates the erasure superficially, however, it stays collected in a mother database which is never cleared. .....

Contacts

4. Anyone with smart mobile devices can download this application and impersonate identities. It is therefore important that before you send messages and share files, you make sure youre talking to the real person and be sure they are reliable. Remember to always be careful about the people you talk to online or, in this case, applications that use Internet to reach people from all over the world. .....

Chains

5. It is one of the problems that have arisen with the use of this application. Many users have complained about these chains and many others have had problems in the use of this application for being part of these chains. So avoid resend them, as they contain malicious codes inside, which could complicate the smooth running of this application on your mobile device. .....

Use whatsapp privacy settings

6. The Whatsapp privacy settings allow you to control who gets to see what. You can segregate your friends into acquaintances, friends and family and ensure that everyone doesnt have full access to your profile and only a few close friends and family have. .....

Dont talk to strangers

7. Remember what your parents told you when you were a child. Dont talk to strangers. Accept friend requests from known people. If you want to add strangers. .....

Watch your status messages

8. Dont use your Facebook status application to tell the world about your itinerary for the day. You never know who is stalking you in the virtual world. .....

Keep changing your password often

9. Avoid using obvious things like your date of birth, name, boyfriends name and so on. Your password is like the keys of your home, dont share it with anyone. Keep it only to yourself and change it often. .....

Impersonation is rampant Beware

10. The anonymity provided by the virtual world and fear of being stalked often prompts people to impersonate. A considerable number of Facebook profiles are fakes and people often withhold correct information about themselves or provide wrong ones. Do not reveal your real name while chatting; instead use a pseudo/nickname as your username. Avoid provocative nicknames as it tends to attract wrong attention. .....

Do not share personal information

11. Do not share any personal information on the profile such as email address, mobile phone number, home or school address. When you start chatting with someone you met online, stick to general topics and refrain from talking too much about yourself. .....

Do not share pics

12. Do not share your pics in chat rooms as they can be misused. Identity theft is a grave issue and can have dangerous repercussions. .....

Never have private chats with strangers

13. Do not leave public chat rooms and encourage private conversations unless you are very sure about the identity of the person you are chatting with. Chatting in public ensures someone or the other would alert you in case you are being harassed. Private chats can often be used by online bullies to harass you. .....

Functionality

14. WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the word. It lets you send messages without having to pay for sms services although the person you are sending to also has to be using the app. Its an easy way to stay in touch with the newsroom and colleagues while in the field, especially as you can exchange images, video and audio. .....

Risks for journalists

15. Currently, WhatsApp claims messages are encrypted but because the company wont say what method they use, its difficult to know how secure the service is. There are reports that WhatsApp messages sent over wifi and other public channels can be decrypted. There are apps out there which try to make WhatsApp more secure. .....

Switch off roaming before you go

16. An alternative approach, and a wise precaution even if you do remove your SIM, is to disable overseas roaming before you leave the country. The method for doing this varies; typically youll need to either contact your provider by phone or change settings in your online account. Dont leave this until just before you leave, as the setting may not always be applied instantly. .....

Use your non phone channels

17. In the smartphone era, its worth remembering that not being accessible via a single phone number is not the restriction you might think. With Wi Fi, you can still access email, Twitter, Facebook, and free messaging apps like Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp and Viber. That gives you plenty of ways to talk to others, and for others to get in touch with you in emergencies. .....

Locate free Wi Fi while travelling

18. During the day, free Wi Fi from cafes and other locations is your best friend. Check our detailed guide to finding free Wi Fi for specific suggestions. .....

Update your voicemail

19. An obvious point, but one many people forget update your voicemail message to explain to people that youre travelling and not regularly checking messages. That will save on deleting lots of out of date messages when you return. If youre paranoid about saying youre away, simply ask people to send you an email. .....

Set up a data bundle

20. Most Australian telcos offer discount bundles for travel, meaning that data will only cost a princes ransom rather than a kings ransom. If you know youll need data options, these can be worth checking out. Telstra cut the price on its packs earlier this year, but theyre still ruinously expensive. Optus has some good deals in Asia. .....

Dont use non essential apps or sites

21. If you are roaming, resist using your phone casually. Bookmark the mobile versions of sites you use regularly to cut bandwidth. Consider using a separate browser; Opera shrinks data before sending it, which can majorly reduce your usage. .....

Make sure your phone isnt network locked

22. If you purchased your phone on contract, its likely to be locked to your provider network, and wont work with SIMs from other providers. Check before travelling. It can be worth buying a more basic phone for travel, which has the added advantage youll be less concerned if you lose it. .....

Your Acceptance

23. This is an agreement between WhatsApp Inc., a California corporation WhatsApp, the owner and operator of the WhatsApp Site, the WhatsApp software, including WhatsApp Messenger collectively, including all content provided by WhatsApp through WhatsApp Messenger and the WhatsApp Site, the WhatsApp Service, or the Service, and you you or You, a user of the Service. .....

WhatsApp Service

24. These Terms of Service apply to all users of the WhatsApp Service. Information provided by our users through the WhatsApp Service may contain links to third party websites that are not owned or controlled by WhatsApp. WhatsApp has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party websites. In addition, WhatsApp will not and cannot censor or edit the content of any third party site. .....

WhatsApp Access

25. Subject to your compliance with these Terms of Service, WhatsApp hereby grants you permission to use the Service, provided that i your use of the Service as permitted is solely for your personal use, and you are not permitted to resell or charge others for use of or access to the Service, or in any other manner inconsistent with these Terms of Service; ii you will not duplicate, transfer, give access to, copy or distribute any part of the Service .....

Intellectual Property Rights

26. The design of the WhatsApp Service along with WhatsApp created text, scripts, graphics, interactive features and the like, except Status Submissions as defined below, and the trademarks, service marks and logos contained therein Marks, are owned by or licensed to WhatsApp, subject to copyright and other intellectual property rights under United States and foreign laws and international conventions. The Service is provided to you AS IS for your in .....

User Status Submissions

27. The WhatsApp Service allows WhatsApp users to submit status text, profile photos and other communications submitted by you, as well as the automatic submission of your last seen status collectively, the Status Submissions. These Status Submissions may be hosted, shared, and/or published as part of the WhatsApp Service, and may be visible to other users of the Service who have your mobile phone number in their mobile phone and which you have not e .....

Indemnity

28. You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless WhatsApp, its parent corporation, officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses including but not limited to attorneys fees arising from i your use of and access to the WhatsApp Service; ii your violation of any term of these Terms of Service; iii your violation of any third party right, includi .....

Ability to Accept Terms of Service

29. You affirm that you are either more than 16 years of age, or an emancipated minor, or possess legal parental or guardian consent, and are fully able and competent to enter into the terms, conditions, obligations, affirmations, representations, and warranties set forth in these Terms of Service, and to abide by and comply with these Terms of Service. In any case, you affirm that you are at least 16 years old as the WhatsApp Service is not intended .....

When WhatsApp Discloses Information

30. Other users of the WhatsApp Service may see your Status Submissions in a way that is consistent with the use of the WhatsApp Service. For example, a status of Cant talk, please SMS instead set by phone number +1 408 555 1212 will be available to every user of the WhatsApp Service who has that mobile phone number in their mobile phones address book or contact list. In other words If another user has your mobile phone number stored in their mobile .....

Our Commitment To Data Security

31. WhatsApp uses commercially reasonable physical, managerial, and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of your personal information. We cannot, however, ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to WhatsApp and you do so at your own risk. Using unsecured wifi or other unprotected networks to submit messages through the WhatsApp Service is never recommended. Once we receive your transmission of information .....

Our Commitment To Childrens Privacy

32. Protecting the privacy of young children is especially important. For that reason, WhatsApp does not knowingly collect or maintain Personally Identifiable Information or non personally identifiable information on the WhatsApp Site or WhatsApp Service from persons under 16 years of age, and no part of the WhatsApp Service is directed to or intended to be used by persons under 16. If you are under 16 years of age, then please do not use the WhatsAp .....

Special Note to International Users

33. The WhatsApp Site and Service are hosted in the United States and are intended for and directed to users in the United States. If you are a user accessing the WhatsApp Site and Service from the European Union, Asia, or any other region with laws or regulations governing personal data collection, use, and disclosure, that differ from United States laws, please be advised that through your continued use of the WhatsApp Site and Service, which are g .....

So Wheres the Problem

34. Clearly, the excitement over getting the WhatsApp Calling feature is humongous among users across the world. And taking advantage of this excitement, online scammers and hackers have started a fresh malicious campaign that is going viral. .....

Lock your Whatsapp

35. There are plenty of good Whatsapp locking apps available for free to download. Get one and password protect your Whatsapp. Certain apps works based on creating pattern to unlock Whatsapp and some other requires password to be entered. .....

How to Avoid Whatsapp Hacking

36. Users do not use public Wi Fi. Block unknown numbers. Using your Wi Fi change the password of your router frequently. You can lock Whatsapp message in Step. This is used by the third party app. Lock Whatsapp the name of the app can be downloaded from Google. A version of this app is also available for BlackBerry users. You can hide the last scene. You will find many privacy settings in the phone from the taking of photographs until the last scene .....

Hide Last Seen Timestamp

37. By default, WhatsApp shows a last seen timestamp, telling other users the last time you were on WhatsApp. Some of you may want to disable this timestamp, for privacy reasons. You can disable this timestamp on both iOS and Android. .....

Backup And Restore WhatsApp Chats

38. WhatsApp makes automatic backups of your chats, but you can also make a manual backup. On iOS, its Settings Chat Settings Chat Backup, then tap Back Up Now. .....

Create Shortcuts For Important Contacts

39. Want to speed up your WhatsApp communication? How about creating a shortcut to your favorite Whatsapp contact or group straight from your homescreen.On Android, this is as simple as long pressing on the group or contact you want to create a shortcut for. When the menu pops up, just tap on Add conversation shortcut. This will create a shortcut to the contact or group you have chosen right on your homescreen. .....

Gallery Or Camera Roll

40. Having WhatsApp images in your Gallery or Camera Roll can be very annoying; maybe the images are somewhat private, or you just dont like having these images clutter up your Gallery or Camera Roll. You can fix this on both iOS and Android. .....

Get Messaging Statistics On Android

41. This will definitely interest you if youre a statistics geek, or simply someone whos interested in finding out you and your friends WhatsApp habits. WhatStat provides information for metrics such as your top friends, friends and groups most active times of the day as well as message distribution for both one on one and group chats. .....

Manage your Favorites

42. Once in your account, you will see all of your contacts who already have a WhatsApp account on the Favorites tab. Keeping this list will allow you to know who has WhatsApp, but it may be too cluttered if you want to access a few frequent contacts with ease.You can tap Edit in the top left corner and then Delete All to clear the list and start from scratch, or toggle the red delete switch next to each name to delete people individually. .....

Change your status

43. Tap Status in the bottom horizontal navigation bar. Tap the in the top right corner to add a new custom status.You can edit your current status by tapping the button under Your current status is or selecting a default or previous status from the list below. .....

Invite friends youd like to

44. Tap on the Contacts tab in the middle of the navigation bar. Find a contact and tap on it to view its details. Tap Invite name to get WhatsApp to send them an SMS invitation to download the app. If you use this option to invite a contact from another country, both of you may be subject to international SMS charges. You may want to send them an email to join WhatsApp instead. To do this, go to Settings Tell a Friend and then select the method of d .....

Manage your chats

45. Tap Chats in the navigation bar. Youll see a list of all of your WhatsApp conversations with individual users and groups. Tap on one to continue a conversation or to read an old one. .....