WhatsApp

WhatsApp is one of the most popular IM app and service that has millions of users globally. Although there are many similar apps available but WhatsApp is well known its compatibility with all major mobile operating systems like Android, iOS, Windows Phone and others. The developing team behind this app has done tremendous work optimizing this app for high end devices as well as low end phone like older Android devices or older models of iPhone.

Unlike other services like Skype, WhatsApp does not ask users to choose a unique ID because it uses phone number of users as their ID. While using WhatsApp, you can use internet to send messages to your friends who are also using WhatsApp and those messages won’t be charged by carriers. When there is no internet available, WhatsApp uses GSM networks for sending messages.

The installation and initialization process is simple and straight forward; you can download and install WhatsApp for free from relevant app store like Google Play Store or iTunes and after the installation it automatically adds your contacts in WhatsApp directory. It doesn’t assign you a new ID and it doesn’t even assign you a new number but you can use your existing phone number in WhatsApp too. Using the same number as your WhatsApp ID makes it easier for users to remember that and tell others about their WhatsApp ID.

You can add picture and your name in profile section.  The developing team has made main interface of WhatsApp easy to understand and easy to navigate. Even a new user can use WhatsApp app on different platforms after few minutes of experimenting. There are five tabs in bottom of the main interface; Favorites, Settings, Chat, Status and Contacts. From the settings tab you can configure the app according to your preferences. You can change font size, notifications settings and other things.

Chat tab shows all recent chats with different contacts and you can tap on the compose button to start a new chat with a contact. The contact tab shows all of your contacts in WhatsApp directory; you can add/remove contacts from there. Status tab allows users to set a status that other users would see. For example if you are online and available then you can set your status to Available. You can even set a customized status if you want.

WhatsApp not only allows users to send text messages but users can also share pictures, audio files, videos and even documents with their friends on WhatsApp. The latest version of WhatsApp comes with location sharing feature that you can use to tell your friends about your actual geographical location at any given moment.

The messages delivery system of WhatsApp is surprisingly fast and it delivers messages instantly. You would see a single tick mark that indicates the message has been delivers and two tick marks indicate the message has been read by the receiver. Of course you can send unlimited messages with WhatsApp and you can share as any pictures and documents as you want.