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WhatsApp has made life so much easier. These days, a majority of people have access to smart phones and use WhatsApp for communication – it’s convenient, you can call, you can video chat, you can send voice notes and photos…what more could you ask for? But with every great invention comes a few cons in tow. Now, WhatsApp is great, there’s no denying that. However, there are some mistakes you should avoid when using WhatsApp, for your own good.
1. Saving all images to your camera roll.
If you’re active on WhatsApp, chances are, you will receive many images from your friends, be it memes or work/leisure related images. If you save all images on the camera roll, your space will get used up pretty fast. What you need to do is go to the WhatsApp settings, and under chats, unlick the save to camera roll. This way, the images will not come to your phone. Alternatively, you could unsave to camera roll at only the groups or people who send you a lot of images that you don’t need, under settings. Once you do that, the images will remain on the chat but will not be downloaded to your gallery and this is a great way to save on space.
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2. Allowing everyone to see your WhatsApp statuses.
You probably have a tone of contacts on your phone, some who are not even your friends but just random contacts that maybe you saved when you were buying something, for instance. The last thing you want is everyone knowing your business and what you’re up to. If you constantly post a lot about your private life, choose specific people to see your status under status privacy settings.
3. Forwarding all messages received.
In this day and age, there’s a lot of false news being spread every now and then. WhatsApp is one of the channels that has been at the forefront of promoting fake news. Everyone forwards all those messages and propaganda without verifying the information. Take every forwarded news you receive on WhatsApp with a pinch of salt and verify the information before sending it to someone else.
4. Clicking links that you’re unsure about.
Ever received a random link on WhatsApp? It could be a virus or it could even a hacker trying to access your phone. Never click links that are untrusted especially those that look too good to be true “Click here to win an iPhone.”
5. Sending compromising photos of yourself.
Sending nudes or confidential information about yourself is risky because that person or persons will always have a copy of those photos or information and they could use it against you. Also, even though you can delete messages sent these days, do note that there are apps out there that help you see the message that someone has deleted. Yup, true story.
6. Not logging out of your WhatsApp for web.
If you share a laptop with someone, don’t click on the ‘keep me signed in’ button. Always ensure you have logged out because the next person to use the computer could see all your messages and if they have a vendetta against you, they may do spiteful things to get back at you.
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7. Leave random groups that you’re added into.
The problem with WhatsApp is that you will sometimes be added into random groups that are not even meaningful or helping you in any way. Problem with that is the fact that everyone on that group, including strangers can see your mobile number and who knows what they could do? Simply leave the group and be sure to block and delete spamming contacts and those that you no longer communicate with, for your own good and safety.