28 July,2017 09:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
WhatsApp has crossed the whopping 1 billion 'active global user' mark yesterday. Here are top five features that contribute to its popularity worldwide
As WhatsApp crossed the 1 billion mark of active global users, we were wondering what our readers love about this app, and decided to find out through a short survey. Here are 5 features that make the instant messaging application a favourite
1. Video calling: WhatsApp introduced the video calling feature last November. And as per our survey, people felt that it worked really well, especially in areas where there is low network connectivity. However, what makes it just perfect is the fact that video calling is possible with only one's phonebook contacts, which is great since a user's information is secure and there're no anonymous call requests.
2. Mute chat: Many find the 'Mute' feature to be one of the best ones. With the help of this feature, users can mute a particular chat for a specific time. As of now, a user can mute a conversation for 8 hours, 1 week, or 1 year, which allows users to enjoy the benefit of receiving and reading all messages sent by a particular contact without being disturbed.
3. Status: This feature is available across all families of mobile phone operating systems; be it an iPhone, Android or Windows phone. With the introduction of the feature, WhatsApp users can share photos, GIFs or videos overlaid with emojis, paintings and a caption. The particular status remains visible to selected friends for 24 hours, before disappearing.
4. Read Receipt: The feature lets a WhtasApp user know if the person on the other end has read his message or not, and also the time when he/she read the message. Disabling read receipts in the 'Settings' menu disables the double blue tick symbol that indicates a message as 'read message'. This is also a great way to read a message without letting the sender know about it.
5. Reply to an individual's message in a group chat: This feature allows users to select a particular message from a group chat and reply to it. This is one of the most convenient ways of replying to a particular message in a long group conversation. Users only need to tap and hold the message and then type reply to revert.
Introduction of these features along with two-step verification has helped WhatsApp attract more users from across the world. Also, it is one of the most talked about messaging app in recent times.
