Old Wise Tales

Old Wise Tales Meaning
Old wives' tale is an epithet used to indicate that a supposed truth is actually a superstition or something untrue, to be ridiculed. It can be said sometimes to be a type of urban legend, said to be passed down by older women to a younger generation.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Fruit and vegetables are important in our diets.  This old wise tale is actually true.  A 2013 study found that if all people aged over 50 in the UK ate just one apple per day, they would actually prevent – or delay – 8500 heart attacks and strokes every year.

Count sheep to fall asleep
Those old wives have been telling us for centuries to close our eyes and count sheep to fall asleep. Tthe use of visualisation or mental imagery can certainly assist in getting you to the land of nod.  It can help to distract you from thinking stressful or anxious thoughts – commonly associated with insomnia – which will make you fall asleep sooner.

Heartburn in pregnancy means you’re going to have a baby with lots of hair

Ancient wisdom predicts that if you’re pregnant and suffering from heartburn, chances are you’re going to give birth to a baby with lots of hair.  A 2007 study at John Hopkins University discovered, that a sample of women who endured heartburn did in fact give birth to babies that had more than the average amount of hair for a newborn.

Fish is brain food

It’s old wisdom that fish is good for the brain.  A recent Harvard study found that the more fish mothers ate during their second trimester of pregnancy, the better their babies did on tests when they were six months old.

Hair of the dog

Got a hangover from drinking to much last night?  Old wives tales would tell you to have another drink to alleviate the symptoms of a hangover.   Research has shown that consuming small doses of alcohol can actually relieve alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Chocolate helps to relieve premenstrual cramps

chocolate cravings you get just before you get your period, happens for a reason.  Studies suggest that chocolate contains nutrients and antioxidants such as anandamide, which can have a calming effect, and keep anxiety and moods in balance.


Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight

Is the old adage “Red sky at night, sailor’s/shepherd’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s/shepherd’s warning” true, or is it just one of those silly old wives’ tale? According to the Library of Congress there’s certainly a scientific explanation for it:

“When there’s a red sky at night, this means that the setting sun is sending its light through a high concentration of dust particles, indicating high pressure and stable air coming in from the west. Meaning good weather will follow … A red sunrise can mean that a high pressure system (good weather) has already passed, thus indicating that a storm system (low pressure) may be moving to the east. A morning sky that is a deep, fiery red can indicate that there is high water content in the atmosphere. So, rain could be on its way.”

Don't go outside with wet hair. You'll catch a cold
False. Getting chilled does not cause a cold. In one study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, two groups of people were exposed to viruses that cause the common cold. One group was exposed to the germs in a chilly 5°C room; the other group, in a balmy 30°C room. The result? Both groups caught colds at about the same rate.

Feed a cold, starve a fever
Fasting will weaken you just as you should be preserving your strength. Even if you don't feel like eating, at least have some chicken soup and toast or other soothing foods.

Put some brandy on your baby's gums
False. A risky remedy. Forget that old wives' tale about dabbing brandy or whiskey on a baby's gums to alleviate teething pain. Even a very small amount of alcohol can be toxic to a baby.

Black and White Magic Part 1

Black and White Magic Part 1
Meaning of black and white magic

Black magic or dark magic has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes. With respect to the left-hand and right-hand path dichotomy, black magic is the malicious, left-hand counterpart of benevolent white magic. In modern times, some find that the definition of "black magic" has been convoluted by people who define magic or ritualistic practices that they disapprove of as "black magic".

The meaning of supernatural

Adjective

Of, relating to, or being above or beyond what isnatural; unexplainable by natural law

or phenomena; abnormal.

Of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or attributed to God or a deity.

Of a superlative degree; preternatural:

Of, relating to, or attributed to ghosts, goblins, orother unearthly beings; eerie; occult.

Noun

A being, place, object, occurrence, etc., consideredas supernatural or of supernatural

origin; that which is supernatural or outside the natural order.

Behaviour supposedly caused by the intervention of supernatural beings.

Direct influence or action of a deity on earthly affairs.

Anything to do with the supernatural inspires doubts and fears, and most of the time they are only based on myths.

Meaning of Myths

A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.

A widely held but false belief or idea.

When black magic came into being thousands of years ago, people practising it were executed.  People’s freedom was not respected.  People used to practise black magic secretly. People were executed for practising witchcraft.  Witch trials and hunts were very common in those days.  Several branches appeared the most important of them being witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy. Witchcraft is the most widely used kind of black magic along with sorcery which exists in our lives. Necromancy mainly concentrated on communication with the dead.

Communicating with the dead by summoning the spirits or by making the spirits appear as a bodily manifestation is called necromancy.  Fortune telling is very important.

Necromancy is one of the most important types of black magic and it is also the most effective and the most complex. 

Necromancy dates back to the Ancient Greek Civilization.

An integral part of necromancy is the mutterings or trance chanting.  Necromancy is a very difficult art to master and there are only a few that have the necessary skill to do that.  There are a very few practitioners who can successfully perform these practices.

Some of the ancient practice was gruesome rituals, but those rituals gradually vanished and made way for more practical usage.  Necromancy involves summoning the dark spirits, precautionary measures have to be maintained to avoid any disasters or undesirable events.

Witchcraft is another form of black magic.  Through spells, divination procedures ,it has gained popularity   People have shown a great interest in the dark arts.

Black magic is one of those mysteries that have fascinated people for a very long time.

The power is extraordinary powers, beyond any normal imagination

Gone are the days when people are afraid and shrink away at the mention of the dark arts and would discriminate black magic.

In the modern world, black magic is not only very interesting phenomena but also a very commonplace idea.

The history of black magic has come a long before it has reached the stage that it is accepted into and applied in our normal daily lives. 

The people that have been practicing have become firm believes and its through their faith that has kept the dark arts from not disappearing from our world.

Did you know?  The secret of successful Black Magic spells lies in mind control.

Casting Black Magic spells allow you to be in control of people's mind and have them to do what they're ordered to do. The secrets of this intense power are that thanks to Black Magic, it becomes possible to control the mind of anyone. 

People use black magic these days to solve their problems.  Years ago I was told that I was having extremely bad luck because someone had cast spell against me.  This man that told me this told me that he knew someone that can reverse the spells cast against me, and found the person that had cast the bad spells on me.  In turn, the person that had cast those spells on me would suffer in his or her own daily life.  I said no thank you.  This I believed was very wrong, even if there was someone out there causing me harm intentionally by casting spells.  I can't say that I don't believe in it because how they do it, is mainly through mind control.  The mind is extremely powerful..........

Pen and Paper Games

Pen and paper games are played only using paper and a pen, or any other writing implement. No erasing is allowed. It gives hours of fun. Adults and children can play for hours.  Need to keep kids busy?  Try these games.  It brings back memories from my childhood and I am sure many of you have played some of these games also!

Noughts and Crosses
Players: Two - Also known as: Tic-tac-toe

Players take turns in marking squares on a 3 x 3 grid. The first player to get three squares in a row wins.
Description

This is probably the best known pencil and paper game.

The game is played on a 3 x 3 grid, typically created by drawing two horizontal lines and two vertical lines on a piece of paper. One player is 'O' and the other is 'X'.

Players take turns in drawing their symbol in one of the cells. The first player to make a line of three of their symbol horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins.

If both players play perfectly the outcome is always a draw, but with inexperienced players the game is just complex enough to make the game interesting.
Example:

For example, the following game shows how the first player can force a win by starting in the centre square if the second player is foolish enough to reply on the edge:

Dots and Boxes
Players: Two

Players take turns in drawing lines between dots on a grid. The player who completes the most boxes wins.

Description
The game is played starting with a rectangular array of dots.

The two players take turns to join two adjacent dots with a horizontal or vertical line. If a player completes the fourth side of a box they initial that box and must draw another line.

When all the boxes have been completed the winner is the player who has initialled the most boxes.

The game is more complex than it initially appears, and even on a 4x4 grid there is plenty of opportunity for skilful play.
Example

The following game on a 3x3 grid is won by Blue, who scores 3 against Red's one:

Battleships
Players: Two - Also known as: Broadsides

Players take turns in trying to guess the locations of the other player's ships on a grid.

Description
Each player draws two 10 x 10 grids, labelled along the sides with letters and numbers. On the left-hand grid the player secretly draws rectangles representing their fleet of ships:

The fleet
Each player's fleet consists of the following ships:
1 x Aircraft carrier - 5 squares
1 x Battleship - 4 squares
1 x Cruiser - 3 squares
2 x Destroyers - 2 squares each
2 x Submarines - 1 square each

Each ship occupies a number of adjacent squares on the grid, horizontally or vertically.
Play

During play the players take turns is making a shot at the opponent, by calling out the coordinates of a square (eg D5). The opponent responds with "hit" if it hits a ship or "miss" if it misses. If the player has hit the last remaining square of a ship the opponent must announce the name of the ship; eg "You sank my battleship".

During play each player should record their opponent's shots on the left-hand grid, and their shots on the right-hand grid as "X" for a hit and "O" for a miss:

The first player to lose all their ships loses the game.




Hangman
requires
2 to 4 players
Pen and paper

Game Play
One player thinks of a word or phrase; the others try to guess what it is one letter at a time. The player draws a number of dashes equivalent to the number of letters in the word. If a guessing player suggests a letter that occurs in the word, the other player fills in the blanks with that letter in the right places. If the word does not contain the suggested letter, the other player draws one element of a hangman's gallows. As the game progresses, a segment of the gallows and of a victim is added for every suggested letter not in the word. The number of incorrect guesses before the game ends is up to the players, but completing a character in a noose provides a minimum of six wrong answers until the game ends. The first player to guess the correct answer thinks of the word for the next game.

Objective
Guess the word/phrase before your man gets hung!




Sprouts
The game
The game of Sprouts was invented in 1967 by two mathematicians John H. Conway and Michael S. Paterson, when they were both at the University of Cambridge in the UK. The game was popularised by one of Martin Gardner's "Mathematical Games" columns in Scientific American. Here is a quote from Conway:
"The day after sprouts sprouted, it seemed that everyone was playing it, at coffee or tea times, there were little groups of people peering over ridiculous to fantastic sprout positions."
Sprouts is a game for two players. All you really need is paper and a pencil.. The game starts by drawing any number of spots. In this example we are going to look at 3 spots.

The first player has a turn by joining two of the spots and marking a new spot in the middle of the line. Or the line may start and end on the same spot.

Rules:

You are not allowed to draw a line which crosses another line. This is important to remember!
A spot cannot have more than three lines leading to or from it. For example, in the game below, spots A and B cannot be used any more because they already have three lines.

The idea is to make it impossible for the other player to draw a line.
So the last person to draw a line is the winner.

The Ideal World, Utopia

The ideal world, utopia

In a perfect world - used for saying what would happen if the situation was exactly the way that you wanted it to be

Another word for the ideal word is called utopia

How the word utopia came about

In 1516, English humanist Sir Thomas More published a book titled Utopia. It compared social and economic conditions in Europe with those of an ideal society on an imaginary island located off the coast of the Americas. More wanted to imply that the perfect conditions on his fictional island could never really exist, so he called it Utopia, a name he created by combining the Greek words ou (meaning "no, not") and topos (meaning "place," a root used in our word topography). The earliest generic use of utopia was for an imaginary and indefinitely remote place. The current use of utopia, referring to an ideal place or society, was inspired by More's description of Utopia's perfection.

People have always fantasized about having perfect worlds. Some people want riches, others want peace. It seems that people are never capable of agreeing on what the perfect world should include.

I guess in a perfect would everyone has his or her own opinions. What does a perfect world mean to me?

I can do with very little; I am not one for material possessions. I don’t need much in the lines of clothes, and jewelry I don’t wear, make up I don’t wear, and I don’t use expensive perfumes.  I don’t drink alcohol and stay away from fizzy drinks.   I don’t have to have the latest gadgets.

So I don’t place value on materialist things, but I know that many do.  So I wish in a perfect world, others don’t place such a high value in materialistic things, but in things they could never replace, when they lose it.  Family, friends……… loved one.  Before it’s too late to tell them how much we love them, when they are gone forever!!

I am tired of the constant anger around me, if one has a problem deal with it.  Don’t let it mar the rest of your life.  People have different views from others, everyone has this right.  Respect other people right to their own opinions.

Don’t involve yourself in other people’s squabbles.  It’s bad enough when they can’t get on with each other.  Don’t take sides……… One really never knows the whole story, most of us are embarrassed to give the real story, and it might make us look bad.

I guess the perfect world for me, when everyone around me is happy.  I know that this cannot be so all the time.  I want those around me to have the courage to face life’s ups and down with courage.

For me in a perfect world, the support system would be fantastic, need a friend to hold you when you down, need a friend to celebrate with, need a friend when you done something wrong and need encouragement and support to do the right thing.

In my perfect world, I would never make a mistake, I would never disappoint myself.  I would not be hurt by others that can just delete me from their lives, like I never existed. I have never learned to delete anybody from WhatsApp, instead, lol, I deleted WhatsApp completely, lol.

In my perfect world, I would be the best friend anybody could ask for.  I would not feel jealousy about whom they had friendships with; I would not be longing to hear that their relationship ending because of a fight.  In this perfect world, I would never hurt another living soul, I would be able to say the right thing and do the right thing, at the right times always.

In a perfect world, promises would have meaning, a politician’s word would be a bond and a promised public agenda would be kept.  In a perfect world, our environment would be protected from exploitation and preserved for the future generations we have borrowed it from.

In my perfect world, there is no need for power, greed or corruption.  There would be no need for people to struggle on a daily bases just to put food on the table.  In my perfect world there will be those who take care of those people less fortunate than themselves.

In my perfect world, people will be able to empower themselves, get the right education, to get the jobs they need in order to survive in this day and age.

The world would become a lot less diverse, and a lot simpler. In the perfect world, people would do common activities and share common interests.  People would start actually caring for others and not themselves.  People would start putting others before themselves.

The realization of most perfect worlds is impossible because of the fact that people can’t agree. Therefore the perfect world would be one in which everyone agreed all the time. In a world where everyone agreed, argument and conflict would be eliminated.

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

Imagine by John Lennon

Emotional Blackmailers - Part 2

The Inner World of the Blackmailer

Emotional blackmailers hate to lose. Blackmailers can't tolerate frustration. To the blackmailer, frustration is connected to deep, resonant fears of loss and deprivation, and they experience it as a warning that unless they take immediate action they'll face intolerable consequences. These convictions may be rooted in a lengthy history of feeling anxious and insecure.

Complementing and reinforcing possible genetic factors are powerful messages from our caretakers and society about whom we are and how we are supposed to behave. Blackmailers believe that they can compensate for some of the frustrations of the past by changing the current reality.

The potential for blackmail rises dramatically during such crises as a separation or divorce, loss of a job, illness and retirement, which undermine blackmailers' sense of themselves as valuable people. Often people who have had everything and have been overprotected and indulged have had little opportunity to develop confidence in their ability to handle any kind of loss. At the first hint that they might be deprived, they panic, and shore themselves up with blackmail.

Usually blackmailers focus totally on their needs, their desires; they don't seem to be the least bit interested in our needs or how their pressure is affecting us. They often behave as though each disagreement is the make-or-break factor in the relationship.

Blackmailers frequently win with tactics that create an insurmountable rift in the relationship.  Yet the short-term victory often appears to be enough of a triumph ' as if there were no future to consider. Most blackmailers operate from an I-want-what-I want-when-I-want it mind-set. Any logic or ability to see the consequences of their actions is obscured by the urgency blackmailers feel to hold on to what they have.

The most important thing to take away from the tour of a blackmailer's psyche is that emotional blackmailer sounds like it's all about you and feels like it's all about you, but for the most part it's not about you at all. Instead it flows from and tries to stabilize some fairly insecure places inside the blackmailer. Many times it has more to do with the past than the present, and it's more concerned with filling the blackmailer's needs than with anything the blackmailer says we did or didn't do.

The protective qualities that we have that open us up to emotional blackmail are:

• An excessive need for approval.

• An intense fear of anger.

• A need for peace at any price.

• A tendency to take too much responsibility for other people's lives.

• A high level of self-doubt

When kept in balance and alternated with other behaviour, none of these styles dooms you to the status of 'preferred target' of an emotional blackmailer. Emotional blackmailing takes training and practice. Emotional blackmailers take their cues from our responses to their testing, and they learn from both what we do and what we don't do.

Emotional blackmail may not be life threatening but it robs us of our integrity. Integrity is that place inside where our values and our moral compass reside, clarifying what right and wrong for us.

• We let ourselves down.

• A vicious cycle ensues.

• Rationalizing and justifying.

• We may betray others to placate the blackmailer.

• It sucks the safety out of the relationship.

• We may shut down and constrict emotional generosity.

The impact on our well-being:

• Mental health

• Physical pain as a warning

To change, we need to know what we have to do and then we have to act. If you're willing to take action now and let your feelings of confidence and competence catch up with you, you can end emotional blackmail.

What is Necessary to Stop Emotional Blackmail

• The victim must begin to look at the situation in a new way.

• They must detach from their emotions.

• They must realize that they are being blackmailed and that it is not appropriate for the

   blackmailer to be treating them in that manner.

• They must make a commitment to themselves that they will take care of themselves and

   no longer allow this abusive treatment.

• They need to see that a demand is being made on them and that it makes them

   uncomfortable.

• They must determine why the demand feels uncomfortable.

• They must not give into the pressure for an immediate decision.

• They must set boundaries to be able to take time to consider the situation and to look at

   all of the alternatives to make the decision.

• Finally, they must consider their own needs first for a change, in this process.

Punisher and self-punishers may try pressuring you to change your decision by bombarding

you with visions of the extreme negative consequences of doing what you've decided to do. It's

never easy to resist the fear that their bleak vision will come to pass, especially when the theme

they're pounding home is "Bad things will happen - and it'll be your fault." But hold your

ground.

Handling Silence

But what about the person who blackmails through anger that is expressed covertly through

sulks and suffering? When they say nothing, what can you say or do? For many targets, this

silent anger is far more maddening and crazy than an overt attack. Sometimes it seems as if

nothing works with this kind of blackmailer, and sometimes nothing does. But you'll have the

most success if you stick to the principles of non-defensive communication and stay conscious of the following do's and don'ts.

In dealing with silent blackmailers, DON'T: DO use the following techniques:

* Expect them to make the first step toward resolving the conflict.

* Plead with them to tell you what's wrong.

* Keep after them for a response (which will only make them withdraw more).

* Criticize, analyse or interpret their motives, character or inability to be direct.

* Willingly accept blame for whatever they're upset about to get them into a better mood.

* Allow them to change the Subject.

* Get intimidated by the tension and anger in the air.

* Let your frustration cause you to make threats you really don't mean (e.g., "If you don't 
   tell

   me what's wrong, I'll never speak to you again").

* Assume that if they ultimately apologize, it will be followed by any significant change

   in their behaviour.

* Expect major personality changes, even if they recognize what they're doing and are

   willing to work on it. Remember: Behaviour can change. Personality styles usually don't.

* Remember that you are dealing with people who feel inadequate and powerless and who

   are afraid of your ability to hurt or abandon them.

* Confront them when they're more able to hear what you have to say. Consider writing a 
   letter.  

   It may feel less threatening to them.

* Reassure them that they can tell you what they're angry about and you will hear them

   out without retaliating.

* Use tact and diplomacy. This will reassure them that you won't exploit their vulnerabilities

   and bludgeon them with recriminations.

* Say reassuring things like "I know you're angry right now, and I'll be willing to discuss this

   with you as soon as you're ready to talk about it," Then leave them alone. You'll only make

   them withdraw more if you don't.

* Don't be afraid to tell them that their behaviour is upsetting to you, but begin by 
   expressing appreciation. 

* Stay focused on the issue you're upset about.

* Expect to be attacked when you express a grievance, because they experience your 
   assertion as an attack on them as an attack on them.

* Let them know that you know they're angry

Tips for WhatsApp Users

1.     Hide Your WhatsApp Status, Last Seen & Profile Pic

2.     Pay For A Friend

3.     Save Your WhatsApp Messages

4.     Change the WhatsApp Wallpaper

5.     See Exactly When Messages Were Read

6.     Create Shortcuts to Contacts

7.     Check Your Data Use

8.     WhatsApp Web

9.     Transfer to a New Number Or Delete Your Account

10. See how many messages you and your friends have sent to each other.

11. Mute group chats

12. Create custom group-chat notifications

13. Stop photos from being saved to the camera roll

14. Delete your WhatsApp Account

15. Set up Popup Notifications and Reply Directly (Android only)

16. Start a New Chat using 3D Touch (iPhone 6s only)

17. Peek into Messages using 3D Touch (iPhone 6s only)

18. Backup Chats on Local Storage or Google Drive/iCloud

19. Hide Notification Preview of Messages

20. Read a Message Without Going Online

21. Block a Contact

22. Archive Chats

23. Email a Conversation

24. Star Messages

25. Send Public Messages in Bulk Privately (Broadcast)

26. Set Custom Notification Tones

27. Check if WhatsApp is Connected or Not (Android only)

28. Add Events in Calendar from Messages (iPhone only)

29. Hide WhatsApp Images from Gallery

30. Get Desktop Notifications

31. Run Multiple WhatsApp Accounts on a Single Device (Android only)

32. Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages (Android only)

33. Add WhatsApp Shortcuts Widget to Notification Center (iPhone only)

34. Move Your WhatsApp Conversations from One Phone to Another (Android only)

35. Send Different File Types (APK, ZIP, PDF) (Android only)

36. Method To Use whatsapp Without Mobile Number.

1. Hide Your WhatsApp Status, Last Seen & Profile Picture

You don’t always want everyone to know when you’re online, or whether you had a chance to see their        last message. Sometimes you want a bit of time to think before you have these conversations.

You might also have good reason to make sure that only certain people see your profile picture. In fact,          it’s pretty unlikely that you’d want anyone but your friends to see your profile picture at all.

Head to Settings > Account > Privacy and you can tweak all of your WhatsApp privacy settings. It’s worth noting that by default everyone — not just your contacts — can see your last seen time, status message and profile picture, which might be sharing a little too much.

It’s strange that an app that decided to have great encryption decided also to have overly-public default

privacy settings. No need to let WhatsApp become a security threat.

Note, this is also where you’re able to turn off read receipts if you wish. However, if you do this you

won’t be able to see other people’s read receipts.

2. Pay For A Friend

In some countries, WhatsApp is a paid service. If you live in one of these countries you’ve no doubt worked out how to pay for it yourself, but did you know you can pay for a friend too?

Head to Settings > Contacts > Pay For A Friend and you can pay using your Google Wallet from there.       You can only pay for people who are in your contacts list.

3. Save Your WhatsApp Messages 

Sometimes you need to get details out of WhatsApp and into something else. Maybe you need to send directions someone gave you to another friend, or maybe you just want to back up your conversation with a good friend.

Go to Settings > Conversations > Back Up Chats to do a manual backup to your SIM card, or choose “Email Chat” from the same menu to choose a chat to forward to an email address.

Run WhatsApp Without A SIM On a Tablet

Here’s a neat trick you can use in order to get a tablet up and running with WhatsApp. You’ll need to have a phone number with a SIM nearby that you can use.

Install WhatsApp on the tablet and then start the verification process. When the verification text message is sent to the phone you can enter the code manually into the tablet to verify.

4. Change the WhatsApp Wallpaper

Chatting on WhatsApp doesn’t have to be a bland experience, as it’s really easy to change the background. Head to Settings > Chats and Calls > Wallpaper and you can grab a new background from any of your files or Wallpaper apps. Never be boring again.

5. See Exactly When Messages Were Read 

If you’re keen to check whether your friend knows about your party or not, you can easily see if they’ve read the messages you sent or not. Just view the conversation and look for the blue ticks and you know whether it’s been read (if they have read receipts turned on).

Need more info? Long-press on the particular message and you’ll be able to see exactly when that message was delivered and when it was read.

6. Create Shortcuts to Contacts

You probably have one or two contacts who you chat with all the time, like maybe a best friend or partner. If you want easier chatting access to these contacts, you can set up shortcuts for them.

Go into your previous chats, then long-press on the chat with the contact you want easy access to. Then choose “Add conversation shortcut” and it will add a handy shortcut widget to your home screen.

7. Check Your Data Use

No-one likes excessive data charges, so it’s worth being able to check how much data WhatsApp is using. Go to Settings > Account > Network Usage and you can get the full details of all your data usage.

If you want to keep your data usage down, go to Settings > Chat Settings > Media Auto-Download and choose how you’d like to download media while using mobile data, Wi-Fi and while roaming.

8. WhatsApp Web

For some reason WhatsApp web is still a fairly well-kept secret, so it’s worth mentioning again how to use WhatsApp on your PC. Head to Web.WhatsApp.com and follow the instructions on screen to verify your account using the QR code and your phone. It’s pretty straightforward, but you will need to have your phone handy.

9. Transfer to a New Number Or Delete Your Account

Changing to a new mobile number doesn’t mean the end of your WhatsApp account — it’s possible to transfer it to the new number. Head to Settings > Account > Change Number to start the process. You’ll need to enter the old and the new number to migrate the data properly.

If for some reason you actually want to delete your account, head to Settings > Account > Delete My Account to get started. You can always start a new account later if you change your mind.

10. See how many messages you and your friends have sent to each other.

To find out whom you communicate with most on WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Network Usage.

A number appears next to each contact that represents the total number of messages sent back and forth. Selecting a person reveals more information, including how many messages have been sent by whom.

11. Mute group chats.

Group-chat notifications — especially in a big group — can become annoying, particularly if you aren't involved in the conversation. While muting group chat may seem drastic, sometimes these things have to be done.

Go to the group chat in question, click on its name and select "Mute," where you will be presented with three options: eight hours, a week, and a year.

12. Create custom group-chat notifications.

An alternative to muting group chat is having different notifications for each one, allowing you to check your phone only for the important ones.

As with the muting feature, head to the chat, click the name and go to "Custom Notifications," where a different sound can be selected.

13. Stop photos from being saved to the camera roll

Phone storage space is a precious thing, and WhatsApp can consume a lot of it.

To avoid this, head to Apple Settings > Privacy > Photos and then un-select WhatsApp from the list, banning the app from saving new pictures to the camera roll. Pictures do still download, however, so you won't be missing out.

14. Delete your WhatsApp Account

With all the hoopla internet brings to our lives, we sometimes consider taking a break from it and that’s when you would want to delete your WhatsApp account.

To delete your WhatsApp account, go to Settings->Account->Delete my account. Enter your country code & mobile number to verify and your account will be deleted. Keep in mind though that deleting your WhatsApp account will remove you from all groups and erase your message history and backups.

15. Set up Popup Notifications and Reply Directly (Android only)

WhatsApp includes the ability to get popup notifications on Android. You can turn it on by going to Settings->Notifications->Popup notification. You can set it to show popup when screen is off or on, or you can set it to “always show popup”. The popup notification also lets you reply directly from the popup, which makes chatting with more people simultaneously easier.

16. Start a New Chat using 3D Touch (iPhone 6s only)

Thanks to iPhone 6s’ latest 3D Touch feature, you can start a new chat or search through chats directly from WhatsApp’s icon on the homescreen. You just need to force touch on the WhatsApp icon and you will get the options of “New Chat” and “Search”.

17. Peek into Messages using 3D Touch (iPhone 6s only)

WhatsApp implements 3D Touch inside the app as well. On an iPhone 6s, you can force touch on a chat thread to see a preview of the conversation and you can slide up to see options like Mark as unread, Archive, Mute and Delete Chat.

18. Backup Chats on Local Storage or Google Drive/iCloud

WhatsApp has had the ability to backup chats on your device’s local storage but it recently rolled out a new feature, which lets you backup your chats on Google Drive (Android) and iCloud (iPhone).

To backup your chats, go to Settings->Chats and calls->Chat backup and tap “Back up”. The page also shows you your last backup and its size

19. Hide Notification Preview of Messages

You must have gone through the embarrassment of a friend reading your personal messages, thanks to notifications. With both Android and iOS supporting lockscreen notifications, it’s an even bigger problem. Well, the good news is WhatsApp on iPhone lets you hide notification preview of messages. To hide notification preview of messages, go to Settings->Notifications and turn off “Show Preview“.

Sadly, WhatsApp on Android does not let you disable preview of messages but you can disable notifications by going to phone Settings->Apps->WhatsApp->Notifications and selecting “Block all”. Do note that this will result in no notifications entirely from WhatsApp.

20. Read a Message Without Going Online

This is something we all want because at times, we want to see a certain message but we don’t want to go online. There’s a way for that and it’s very easy. After the message has arrived, simply turn off mobile data or turn on airplane mode on your device and then, open WhatsApp and see the message. Once you are done, come back to the homescreen and turn on your mobile data. Pretty easy, right?

21. Block a Contact

WhatsApp is a great app that brings people closer but there are people who get on your nerve and you feel like removing them from your WhatsApp account. Fortunately, there is an option to block contacts on WhatsApp.

You can block a contact on Android by going into their chat thread and tapping the three dot button the tap right. Then, select More->”Block”.

On an iPhone, go to the chat thread of the person you want to block and then go to Contact Info by tapping on the name/number of the person. Then, scroll below and tap “Block this Contact”.

22. Archive Chats

What do you do if you don’t want to delete a chat thread but you don’t want to see it either? Well, you put it to archives.

On Android smartphones, you can press hold on a chat and you will get the option to “Archive chat” among others while on iPhone, you can swipe left on a chat to get the “Archive” option

23. Email a Conversation

If you want to keep a special chat safe in your email account, WhatsApp lets you do that easily. On Android phones, press hold on a chat and you will get an option to “Email chat” and on an iPhone, you will have the “Email chat” option in “More” when you swipe left on a chat. You can also send the media on WhatsApp as email attachments.

24. Star Messages

Our conversations contain various special moments and we do feel like saving them to relive it later. That’s what starring messages lets you do. When you star messages, it saves those messages in a Starred Messages folder. You can easily star messages by press holding on a message and then pressing the star icon. You can find the Starred Messages in WhatsApp Settings

25. Send Public Messages in Bulk Privately (Broadcast)

On various occasions like New Year, it’s a great hassle to go on wishing Happy New Year to people individually, which makes WhatsApp’s broadcast feature all the more useful. WhatsApp’s broadcast feature lets you send messages in bulk privately without the recipients knowing that it has been sent through broadcast.

On Android, you can just tap the three dot button and tap “New broadcast” to create one. On iPhone, you will see a button for “Broadcast Lists” on WhatsApp’s home page, enter that and tap “New List” to create a new broadcast.

26. Set Custom Notification Tones

You can set custom notification notes for both message and calls on WhatsApp. To do it, go to a contact’s info on WhatsApp and select “Custom notifications”. You can then choose a different ringtone & message tone for that contact. On Android, you can even set a custom vibration duration and notification light

27. Check if WhatsApp is Connected or Not (Android only)

When you are in roaming or a place with poor network, you might have noticed some issues with WhatsApp notifications. That happens when WhatsApp isn’t able to connect properly. To make sure if WhatsApp on your phone is online or not, you can check the System Status.

To check if WhatsApp is working properly or not, Go to WhatsApp Settings->Help->System Status and you will see a message telling you if the service is operating normally or not.

28. Add Events in Calendar from Messages (iPhone only)

WhatsApp on iPhone detects dates in messages and lets you add an event from the chat itself. It detects dates as well as phrases like “Tomorrow” and “Today”. To add an event, just tap on the date in the message and select the option to “Create Event”.

Some Advanced WhatsApp Tricks
29. Hide WhatsApp Images from Gallery

The images we get on WhatsApp include a lot of memes & funny pictures and we don’t really need them in our phone gallery. Fortunately, there’s a tweak which lets you hide WhatsApp images from Gallery.

On an iPhone, you simply need to go to Phone Settings->Privacy->Photos and turn off WhatsApp. That’s it, you will no longer see any WhatsApp pictures in your iPhone’s Photos app.

However, hiding WhatsApp pictures from Gallery in Android is a slightly lengthy process. Here’s what you need to do:

Open whichever File Manager app you have installed. You can check out the best File Manager apps for Android, if you don’t have one installed. In file manager, Go to the WhatsApp folder and then Media.

Then, rename the “WhatsApp Images” and “WhatsApp Video” folders to “.WhatsApp Images” and “.WhatsApp Video” respectively. This will hide the WhatsApp images and videos from your Android smartphone’s gallery.

30. Get Desktop Notifications

We do know that WhatsApp Web brings you notifications but for it to work, you have to keep a tab with WhatsApp Web running alongside. To get desktop notifications independently, you can use a Chrome extension dubbed “WAToolkit“. Once added, you only need to start WhatsApp Web once and then, the Chrome extension will bring you WhatsApp notifications even when Chrome is closed. When the notification is clicked, it will take you to WhatsApp Web.

You can also use apps like Pushbullet or its alternatives to use WhatsApp right on your PC.

31. Run Multiple WhatsApp Accounts on a Single Device (Android only)

Some of us have an Android smartphone with dual SIM functionality, which makes us want to have two separate WhatsApp accounts but unfortunately, WhatsApp restricts users to only one account on a device. Well, the good news is that there’s a workaround, thanks to Android’s multi-user feature. Here’s what you need to do:

Go to your phone’s Settings->Users and “Add new user“. Complete the whole setup to create a new user.

Once you have created a new user, install WhatsApp on the new user account and enter the other number you want to use here.

That’s it, you can then easily switch between users from the notification center and use multiple WhatsApp accounts with ease.

32. Recover Deleted WhatsApp Messages (Android only)

If you’ve accidentally deleted your WhatsApp chats, you can easily recover them because WhatsApp backups your chats every day at 2 AM. Here’s how you can recover your deleted WhatsApp messages:

Uninstall and then re-install WhatsApp.

Sign up with the same number you used WhatsApp with previously. You will be prompted that a backup has been found.

Tap “Restore” to start the restoring process. Once done, you will see all your messages back and healthy.

If you want to restore messages from an older backup, here’s what you need to do:

Open file manager and go to folder WhatsApp->Databases.

Select the database you want to restore and rename it from msgstore-YYYY-MM-DD.1.db.crypt8 to msgstore.db.crypt8. This will replace the most recent database with your preferred database, so when you start restoring messages, your older messages will be recovered.

33. Add WhatsApp Shortcuts Widget to Notification Center (iPhone only)

WhatsApp on iPhone does not let you add any shortcuts to the homescreen or widget to the notification center but there’s an app that lets you do that. The Shortcut for WA Plus app lets add WhatsApp contacts to the widget area of iPhone’s notification center. The process is pretty easy, so here’s how to use it:

Install Shortcut for WA Plus app from the App Store. Open the app and allow the permissions it asks.

Tap the plus button below and select the contact you want to add a shortcut for.

Once done, go to the Notification center and tap “Edit” in the widgets area. Add the “WA Shortcuts” widget.

That’s all, as you will start to see the contact shortcuts, which will take you straight to the WhatsApp chat.

34. Move Your WhatsApp Conversations from One Phone to Another (Android only)

Switching to a new phone and wondering how to get all your WhatsApp chats on the new phone? With the new Google Drive integration, things have become a lot easier. Here’s what you need to do:

On your older Android smartphone, go to WhatsApp Settings->Chat and calls->Chat backup and create a back up on Google Drive.

Install WhatsApp on your new phone. When you open it, enter the same number as your older account.

It will prompt you about the Google Drive backup. Then, choose the Google account you want to save the found backup in.

That will make sure your new Android smartphone has all your old WhatsApp chats.

35. Send Different File Types (APK, ZIP, PDF) (Android only)

WhatsApp lets you share different types of media content but it still lags when it comes to diverse file types like ZIP, PDF and APKs. The good news is, there’s a way, thanks to third party apps. This is how you can send different file types on Android:

Install Dropbox on your Android smartphone and login. Then, install Cloud Send. Once CloudSend is installed, open the app and tap “Setup” after the intros.

Give CloudSend permission in Dropbox by tapping “Allow“, as you can see in the screenshot below. A “CloudSend” folder will be created in your Dropbox storage.

Now, open the file manager app and choose the file you want to send through WhatsApp. Press hold on the file and tap “Share” and choose CloudSend. This will upload your file to the CloudSend folder on Dropbox.

After the upload is completed, you will have options to “Send” or “Copy” the link. Select Send and then, tap WhatsApp to share the link with your friends.

The recipient will be able to view the file if his/her smartphone has apps installed to open different file types. The link can also be used to manually download the file from the browser.

36. Method To Use whatsapp Without Mobile Number.

Step 1. Firstly you have to download whatsapp messenger in your Android device and install and launch it.

Step 2. If you are old whatsapp user then you have to delete your whatsapp account and download and install whatsapp again.

Step 3. Next step is enter your name and verify your mobile number. But you do not enter your mobile number now.

Step 4. Then we have to verify your mobile number with another way. Download Text+ App in your mobile to verify your mobile number.

Step 5. After launching text + App you have to open the App and go to settings and select contacts.

Step 6. You will get a number for your personal use in the app. Copy that number or write it .

Step 7. Now open your whatsapp messenger and paste the number that you get from the text + App.

Step 8. Click on continue button now you will get a verification code in Text+ app.

Step 9. Get this code and verify your account. Now your whatsapp account is ready without any number.