A user can make voice and video calls and send messages (including photos, videos, voice messages, documents and their location) to another user or group of users in WhatsApp. They can hide a specific ‘chat’ using a fingerprint or Face ID lock or send ‘disappearing messages’, which automatically become invisible to users after a selected amount of time (between 1 and 90 days). They can also share a status update, which is a photo or video that is shared with selected contacts (or all contacts) and disappears after 24 hours.
A user can join or create a ‘Community’ which connects multiple group chats (e.g. all WhatsApp groups relating to a specific school). They can also follow ‘Channels’ created by people or organisations (such as a football team) who share updates like text, photos or videos.
A WhatsApp message is end-to-end encrypted so it can only be seen by the sender and the person who receives it (not WhatsApp). However if a user receives an inappropriate message, they can report it to WhatsApp, which allows WhatsApp to review the message.
There are no parental controls on WhatsApp however various safety settings are available. For example, a user can block other people, silence unknown callers, turn off location sharing and prevent others from seeing their profile photo or when they were last online. A user can also control who can add them to a group chat.
