6 Hidden WhatsApp Tricks That Every User Needs To Know

There are no certification courses for WhatsApp, but mastering the app can help you save bandwidth, get a proper nights sleep, and keep a curb on stalkers.

If you’re a seasoned WhatsApp user, you probably know how to share contacts, photos, videos, audio, and your personal location. You probably know how to get WhatsApp on your PC as well, or do voice calls. Here are some hidden features in WhatsApp that will let you use it like a boss.

• 1
  Archive chats
  
  This feature lets you hide a conversation from your chat tab, and access it later, if needed. To do so, long press on a chat you wish to hide, and select Archive chat. You can also choose to archive all chats by tapping on Chat Settings, Archive All Chats. Using this feature doesn’t delete or back up the chat on your SD card.
• 2
  Mute group chats
  
  Group chats can get a bit too noisy at times, if you would like to turn off notifications, tap the Menu button, and hit Mute, and choose the timeframe for which you would like the group to be muted.
• 3
  Hide your Last Seen time
  
  By default, WhatsApp broadcasts your the last time you checked the app and provides a read receipt in the form of two blue ticks when the message is read by you. To disable this feature, head to Settings > Account > Privacy, and tap on Last seen, and change the option to Nobody. Turning this feature off works both ways, you won’t be able to see the Last seen details of other users as well.
• 4
  Add a shortcut to a group or chat to your home screen
  
  A long-press on the a group or chat menu presents you with the option of adding a shortcut on your home screen. If you are a Cyanogen OS user, you can drag app icons into a password protected folder for added privacy.
• 5
  Save bandwidth by disabling media from auto-downloading
  
  WhatsApp lets you specify when you want images, audio and video should be auto-downloaded on your phone. It’s available in Settings > Chat settings > Media auto-download, and lets you specify these options when on mobile data, Wi-Fi, and roaming.
• 6
  Find out when a message was read
  
  Everyone knows that two blue ticks is a read notification, but did you know you can long press on the sent message, and tap on the (i) icon to see exactly when a message was read.

13 Google cool tricks you don't know about

"Google it" is a phrase now ingrained into our daily lives. With over 900 million people using Gmail and 11.9 billion monthly searches, Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL)'s dominance in online search is unquestioned. Even though you probably use it everyday, here are 13 Google tricks that can provide some added convenience or entertainment.

1. Keep your timing in check

Ready. Set. Go! Type "set timer to 13 minutes and 13 seconds" and the clock immediately starts to wind down. This is a quick solution if you're waiting to make an important phone call or pick the kids up from school in a few minutes. The timer is especially useful if you don't have your smartphone handy to check the time or use the built-in stopwatch.

2. Seamlessly search your favorite sites

By using the "site:keyword" search, Google will only give results for that website. For example, simply enter the phrase "site:cnbc.com FIFA" and you will get only articles on the CNBC website that are about FIFA.

3. Check flight status

Is my flight on time? First I'll have to head to the airline's website, search for my origin city and destination city or plug in my flight number and then I'll be able to scroll for my flight status. Or ... skip that entire process by typing my flight number into Google to see if there's yet another delay.

4. Decide what's for dinner

For those who are counting calories or just can't decide what to eat, Google can help you make an informed decision. Simply type in "hot dog vs. pizza," for instance, and the search engine will provide a complete nutritional breakdown.

5. Get instant weather forecasts

Similarly, you can get the weather forecast of any city just by typing the city followed by the word forecast. This feature makes it easy to prep for that last minute vacation, without the hassle of going to a weather site, searching the ZIP code and then selecting the specific time-range you're looking for, you can now find all the necessary forecast information in one simple step.

6. Play an old game, in a new way

Dying for a blast from the past? Type "Atari Breakout" into Google Images and your newest Internet distraction will suddenly appear.

7. Streamline your search

Narrow down your search results by isolating what you don't want to see. If you type a minus sign (-) before a word, Google will exclude it from the search completely. This makes weeding through your first page of search results much more comprehensive and accurate, the first time around.

8. Convert like a pro

Kilometers, miles, yards-you name it and Google will convert it. Plug in the metric you're looking to convert and Google will do all the calculations. Even readjust the data after your initial search.

9. See the screen a bit differently

While this tip isn't necessarily practical-it's definitely interesting. Tilt your screen by searching the word "tilt." This is one of many fun additions built in by Google engineers.

10. Monitor the sun

Expand your worldly view by checking on the exact times for sunrise and sunset-anywhere, at any time.

11. Calculate your tab

Quickly type "tip calculator" into Google and in seconds, calculating the exact tip for your meal, based upon a personalized percentage and the number of people dining. While there are apps that can provide a similar service, utilizing the search engine might just save an extra step (or extra 99 cents in the app store).

12. Search for specific images

Have you ever seen a picture of an enticing meal on Pinterest that frustratingly gives no link to a recipe? Or you found an amazing image floating around Facebook but need to give attribution to repost? By using Google's Reverse Image Search, users can drag the image into the search bar. This will locate the original source of the image, thus, providing any necessary information.

13. Flip a virtual coin

Toss difficult decisions out the window. Press the microphone icon (or type) on Google's search bar, and say "flip a coin" or "heads or tails." This feature lets Google flip a coin for you when you don't have one on hand.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Note Edge 2 features leaked

NEW DELHI: Samsung may be months from launching the Galaxy Note 5 and second-generation Note Edge phablets, but rumours about the two have already started surfacing.

The successor of Galaxy Note Edge is being developed under the code name Project Zen; unlike the original Galaxy Note Edge, it will not be just a Note 5 with a curved screen on the side. 

According to a SamMobile report, Samsung Galaxy Note 5's Super AMOLED display will either have 2K or 4K resolution; if Samsung indeed uses 4K resolution, Galaxy Note 5 will likely be the first smartphone in the world to offer such high pixel density.

The report also says that Galaxy Note 5 will be powered by Samsung's upcoming Exynos 7422 chipset, which is expected to integrate CPU, GPU, RAM, storage and modem on the same chip.

The successor of Galaxy Note Edge is being developed under the code name Project Zen; unlike the original Galaxy Note Edge, it will not be just a Note 5 with a curved screen on the side.

Instead, Samsung is giving the smartphone a different set of features compared to its next flagship phablet.

The first thing to note is that Samsung is going for a smaller screen size on the next-generation Note Edge compared to last year's model. SamMobile reported that the smartphone's screen will measure 5.4- or 5.5-inch and have curves on both edges, similar to the ones on Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Since this phablet is part of the Note series, it will come with an S Pen too.

Additionally, the chipset of the phablet will not be as high end as Note 5's; the handset is likely to be powered by a Qualcomm's Snapdragon 808 processor and come with only 16GB of internal storage. On the imaging side, Samsung is said to be using a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie camera on the Galaxy Note Edge 2.