WhatsApp top 5 hidden features in the latest version: App lock, custom notifications and more

WhatsApp is currently one of the most popular instant messaging applications in the world. The app has a ton of features like WhatsApp web, video calling, media sharing, emojis, stickers and much more. It also has some features that are either hidden or not many people know about them. So, here's a list of WhatsApp's top 5 hidden features that you need to know about.

App Lock

WhatsApp has recently allowed users to set up an app lock using fingerprint, touch ID or FaceID on both Android and iOS devices. The feature is hidden inside the privacy setting you might have missed it. In order to set up fingerprint unlock on iOS and Android, head over to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy > Screen Lock or Fingerprint lock.

Here you can simply enable it if you have Fingerprint or FaceID set up on your phone. It can even be configured further with lock time and notification settings. 

Text Formatting

Text formatting comes really handy from time to time.

WhatsApp does not openly allow text formatting. However, it does allow using special characters to bring bold text, italics and strikethrough. In order to use these formatting options, you will need to type the text in the following manner:

*bold*
_italics_
~strikethrough~

The special characters should come in the starting and ending of text you want to format.

Data and Storage Usage

WhatsApp also allows you to keep track of your data usage. This usage not only includes network usage but also the storage usage of the smartphone. It can be used to track with which person are you chatting the most or with whom do you share a lot of media. It can also help in managing the storage space of your smartphone. You can access this by heading over to WhatsApp Settings > Data and Storage usage.

Custom Notifications

WhatsApp notifications are easy to manage from the application’s settings page. It allows you to set different notification tones for a group and personal notifications. However, not many people know that you can even set custom tones for each individual chat. 

Just head over to the contact for whom you want to change the notification tone. Now, tap on the person’s name and scroll down to find custom notifications. Here, you can manage the specific tone you want to set for that person.

Pin chats

In the world of WhatsApp texting, we often get tons of messages. However, at times we want those one or two people to stay at the top of our list. Thankfully, the Facebook-owned app allows you to pin chats that you would require often. In Android, you can do this by pressing and holding a chat until it gets checked. Now, on the top, you can hit the pin icon to pin the chat on top.

On iOS devices, you will need to swipe right the chat to reveal more options. Here, you will see a pin chat option in grey colour.