WhatsApp is constantly evolving, with new features and updates rolling out regularly. Many of the most useful features are often hidden or not immediately obvious. Here are some of the best tips, tricks, and hacks to help you get the most out of your WhatsApp experience:

Privacy and Security
Lock Individual Chats: Keep sensitive conversations private by locking them with your fingerprint, face ID, or a secret code. Locked chats are moved to a separate folder, so they are not visible on your main chat list.

Protect Your IP Address on Calls: By default, WhatsApp calls can expose your IP address. You can hide it by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced and enabling "Protect IP Address in Calls."

Silence Unknown Callers: Avoid spam and telemarketing calls by automatically silencing calls from numbers not in your contacts. Go to Settings > Privacy > Calls and toggle on "Silence Unknown Callers."

Disable "Last Seen" and "Online" Status: Gain more control over your privacy by choosing who can see your "Last Seen" and "Online" status. You can even set it to "Nobody" for maximum privacy.

Disable Read Receipts: The infamous blue ticks can be a source of stress. You can turn them off in Settings > Privacy. Keep in mind that doing so also means you won't see when others have read your messages.

View Once Messages: Send photos and videos that disappear after the recipient opens them. This is perfect for sharing private or temporary content that you don't want to be saved. To do this, tap the "1" icon next to the send button when sending media.

Messaging and Communication
Format Your Text: Add emphasis to your messages with simple formatting tricks.

Bold: Use asterisks on either side of the word or phrase: *bold*

Italics: Use underscores on either side: _italics_

~Strikethrough:~ Use tildes on either side: ~strikethrough~

Monospace: Use three backticks on either side: ```monospace```

Record Hands-Free Voice Messages: Instead of holding the mic button down, tap and hold, then swipe up to lock the recording. You can then speak freely without keeping your finger on the screen.

Transcribe Voice Messages to Text: If you're in a situation where you can't listen to a voice message, you can transcribe it to text directly within the app.

Reply Privately to a Group Message: If you want to respond to a specific message in a group without everyone seeing it, you can reply to it privately. On Android, long-press the message, tap the three dots, and select "Reply Privately." On iOS, long-press the message and select "Reply Privately."

Edit Sent Messages: Made a typo? You can edit messages after they've been sent. Simply long-press the message and choose the edit option.

Send Original Quality Photos and Videos: To prevent WhatsApp from compressing your media, send photos and videos as a "Document" instead of through the gallery.

Organization and Efficiency
Pin Important Chats: Keep your most important conversations at the top of your chat list. Long-press on a chat and tap the pin icon.

Star Messages for Later: Save important messages, such as addresses, phone numbers, or links, by starring them. Long-press a message and tap the star icon. You can then access all your starred messages from the main settings menu.

Free Up Storage: WhatsApp's "Manage Storage" feature shows you which chats are taking up the most space and allows you to easily delete large files and media.

Create a Personal Group: Create a group with yourself as the only member to use WhatsApp as a personal notepad. You can send yourself notes, photos, and files, and they'll be synced across all your linked devices.

Link Multiple Devices: You can use WhatsApp on up to four devices without needing your phone to be online. This is perfect for using WhatsApp on a computer or tablet.