We know you adore WhatsApp and that it is an essential component of your life and privacy. You also believe you do the app through and out. However, you are making blunders that expose you, put you in dangerous circumstances, etc. So, quit committing these errors.
1. Enable two-factor authentication
You should enable two-step verification right now. It’s an additional step for validating your phone number that helps keep hackers out. Hackers attempt to hack into WhatsApp accounts daily.
Hijacking a WhatsApp account is a simple method to acquire the trust of your friends and family, allowing more dangerous schemes to be carried out.
Go to Settings > Account and adjust the setting to On to enable two-step verification.
2. Limit WhatsApp access because the app would not work without it
WhatsApp was founded during a period when Nokia phones were ubiquitous, and 1G and 2G mobile internet were cutting-edge technologies.
WhatsApp’s goal was and continues to be to provide seamless communications across several platforms. WhatsApp is open by design to allow for this.
This means that anyone who knows your phone number can reach you. This much is sufficient.
Those in your address book, on the other hand, have more comprehensive access to your WhatsApp.
People now come and go in and out of their lives. That should be shown in your mobile address book as well.
So, after a few minutes, access your mobile address book and erase the numbers of persons who are no longer in your contact list.
However, if you require their phone number, you can only block them on WhatsApp.
3. Keep the quantity of information you provide to a minimum
We must control our urge to reveal all of our personal information on social media in general, and WhatsApp in particular.
So, if you can’t bear the thought of deleting your WhatsApp photo, at least publish one without other people in it. Then, restrict photo privacy to My Contacts.
4. Turn off media auto-saving
Check that WhatsApp is not storing all media files in your phone’s storage.
Open WhatsApp and go to “Settings,” then “Storage & Data.”
Then, under “Chats,” deactivate the “Save to Camera Roll” checkbox.
You may also prevent the app from downloading media from specific conversations.
Navigate to the chosen conversation, click on its title at the top, and change the options to “Save to Camera Roll.”
5. Pin your most essential conversations
This is a simple method for prioritizing your favorite contacts on WhatsApp.
Your loved ones may become buried behind groups and work discussions if you have a busy WhatsApp.
However, it is possible to pin many conversations so that they remain at the top of your main discussion stream.
Swipe right on a discussion after entering your chat list.
Then, press Pin, and that particular discussion will be pinned to the top of the stream.
You may also unpin at any moment if you change your mind.
6. Texts on WhatsApp that self-destruct
WhatsApp also has a new function that will automatically delete new texts after a day.
The latest version aims to improve your privacy by erasing outdated WhatsApp communications.
Disappearing Messages may be configured to switch on automatically for all new chats — without impacting current discussions.
Disappearing Messages now have two new durations: 24 hours and 90 days.
So you now have four choices: 24 hours, 7 days, 90 days, or Off.
Go to Settings > Account > Privacy and enable the Default Message Timer option.
This function was only introduced a few weeks ago, so make sure you’re using the most recent version of WhatsApp.
Keep in mind that this approach is not without flaws.
Someone might still screenshot or copy your messages to retain a record of them.
So, if you genuinely want to keep anything off the Internet, don’t publish it – unless you’re contacting someone you completely trust.
7. Restriction on who may add you to groups
Anyone with access to WhatsApp can add you to any group.
It is advised that you limit this choice to only contacts.
Otherwise, any random individual may add you to a group, and being linked with random groups may be dangerous.
8. Don’t encourage the spread of false, sensationalized, or unsubstantiated news or explicit content
To combat the flood of fake news and pornographic content on the Internet, the Indian government is strengthening its regulations and procedures.
Also, keep in mind that authorities, such as police, have the legal power to check through your communications if they arrange the necessary papers.
As a result, it is advisable to maintain your WhatsApp clean and neat so that you do not contribute to the problem of online garbage.
