9 Features You Probably Didn’t Know Exist On WhatsApp.

WhatsApp, the magnificent app Facebook bought for $19billion (£12 billion), is used by more than 900 million people around the world and has become one of the best ways to connect with people in different countries or have group conversations.

Unlike the way it is with test messaging, WhatsApp uses a data connection, which mean sending a message is essentially free, especially for those with unlimited data plans.

While the app is reasonably simple, there are features many users haven’s discovered yet!

These are the top nine “hidden” features in WhatsApp that everyone should know about and use.

To find out whom you communicate with most on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Network Usage.

A number appears next to each contact that represents the total number of messages sent back and forth. Selecting a person reveals more information, including how many messages have been sent by whom.

Group-chat notifications — especially in a big group — can become annoying, particularly if you aren’t involved in the conversation. While muting group chat may seem drastic, sometimes these things have to be done.

Go to the group chat in question, click on its name and select “mute,” where you will be presented with three options: eight hours, a week, and a year.

Hiding your “last seen” time is a useful feature if you don’t want people to know when you last checked into WhatsApp.

To switch it off, head to settings > Account > Privacy > Last seen. From here, you can select who gets to view your “last seen” time.

The feature does come with a trade-off: You won’t be able to see anyone else’s “last seen” time either.

Setting up WhatsApp and then changing phones can be a pain. The service is not linked to your actual phone number, just the first number you enter and verify. This “number” will then follow you onto your next phone, creating confusion for everyone.

If you get a new number, you can change your WhatsApp number quite easily by going to Settings > Account > Change Number and following the steps from there.