The instant gratification of texting can be great, but sometimes you may want to wait until an appropriate time to send a message. Scheduling your text messages in advance can help.
If you have an iPhone, you can’t schedule texts from directly within iMessages. So you’ll need a third-party app to get it done. Though depending on what iPhone you have, you may be able to set up recurring messages using the built-in Shortcuts app.
Here’s what you should know about scheduling texts on an iPhone.
Schedule text messages on iPhone using a third-party app
These directions work for the Scheduled App:
1. Download the Scheduled app on your iPhone and go through the setup process.
2. During setup, opt for the paid Premium plan if you want to send your scheduled texts automatically, or choose the free version if you’d like to receive a reminder when it’s time to send your scheduled text.
Choose “Not now” to stick with the free version of the app.
Devon Delfino
3. On the Scheduled home screen, tap the plus + symbol at the bottom of the screen to create a new scheduled text.
Tap the plus symbol to continue.
Devon Delfino
4. Select what messaging platform you want to use at the top of the screen, then enter the recipient contact (or contacts – you can form a group for repeat texting) using the To field. You’ll have to allow the app to access your contacts list during this time if you didn’t already do so during the setup process.
5. Enter your text, add a photo if you wish, then tap Schedule date and select the time and date at which the message will be sent.
Add your message and choose a schedule date.
Devon Delfino
6. Don’t repeat is the default setting; to create a message that will be sent periodically, tap Repeat and select the appropriate option.
Choose how often to repeat the message, if desired.
Devon Delfino
7. Tap the Reminder box if you’re using the free version of the app, or if you don’t want it to auto-send and would rather have a chance to send it yourself at the set time. Tap Send automatically if you have a Premium plan and want the app to do the sending.
8. Tap Schedule Message at the bottom of the screen, and you’re all set.
Schedule recurring messages on iPhone using Shortcuts
1. Open the Shortcuts app.
2. Tap Automation, located at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the “Automation” tab.
Devon Delfino
3. If this is your first automation, tap Create Personal Automations. Otherwise tap the plus symbol in the top-right corner of the screen, then choose Create Personal Automation.
Tap “Create Personal Automations.”
Devon Delfino
4. Tap Time of Day and adjust it as necessary. Choose how often to repeat it, then tap Next.
Select “Time of Day.”
Devon Delfino
5. Select Add Action.
Tap the “Add Action” button.
Devon Delfino
6. Choose the contact to send your message to and tap Next.
7. Tap “Message” and type your desired message. Tap Next to continue.
Create your desired message in the message section of the action.
Devon Delfino
8. Double-check your automation. You may want to deselect the Ask before running option. If everything looks good, tap Done.
If you use WhatsApp, you may be wondering how to recover your deleted WhatsApp messages. The app does provide a way to get it done, but only by restoring your information from a backup.
The process will depend on the kind of phone you’re using – and where the backup data has been stored. Here’s how to do it on Android or iPhone.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on Android
Again, you have to already have backed up your WhatsApp messages for this to work. If you reinstall the app without any prior backups from Google Drive, however, WhatsApp will attempt to restore it from your local backup file automatically.
From a Google Drive back-up:
1. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp.
2. Open the app and verify your number.
3. Tap Restore.
4. Select Next.
Your chats will then pop up once the initialization process is complete. After that, WhatsApp will start restoring your media files.
From a local back-up
If you have an Android and backed up your WhatsApp account to the phone’s local backup, here’s how to restore your deleted messages.
1. Go to your File Manager.
2. Go into the WhatsApp folder and then tap Database.
3. Choose the file called msgstore.db.crypt12.
4. Rename it to msgstore_BACKUP.db.crypt12.
5. Select the most recently dated backup and rename it to msgstore.db.crypt12.
6. Open the Google Drive app, tap the three-line icon and tap Backups.
7. Delete the WhatsApp backup in the backups folder.
8. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp.
9. Open the app and verify your phone number.
10. Tap Restore.
How to recover deleted WhatsApp messages on iPhone
As with Androids, you need a backup to recover your messages on an iPhone, though unlike Android, this backup will have been made through iCloud.
1. Uninstall and then reinstall WhatsApp on your phone.
2. Open the app and verify your phone number.
3. Tap Restore to start the process of restoring your information from a backup and getting your deleted messages back.
Adding a new contact to WhatsApp can be done in a few seconds.
Thomas Barwick/Getty Images
You can add contacts to WhatsApp by manually entering them in Chats, or scanning the QR code from their WhatsApp profile.
You can also import contacts from your phone to WhatsApp.
When entering international contacts, don’t forget to start their phone number with a plus sign and then add the international calling code for their country.
WhatsApp is a surprisingly popular messaging app – many people choose to use it because it’s cross-compatible with both iPhone and Android, and it works over WiFi, so you don’t need to use your cellular plan.
Related Article Module: What is WhatsApp? A guide to navigating the free internet-based communication platform
Want to add a new contact to your WhatsApp address book? You can do that easily in two different ways, depending on whether the other person is nearby. Here’s what you need to know.
How to add a contact to WhatsApp
There are two ways to add a contact to WhatsApp – you can manually enter the contact’s via the Chats tab, or if your new contact is physically nearby, you can simply scan their information via a QR code.
Via the Chats tab
1. Open the WhatsApp app and go to the Chats tab (it’s at the bottom of the screen on iPhone and at the top on Android).
To add a new contact to WhatsApp, start by opening the Chats screen.
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2. On the Chats screen, tap the New Chat button – you’ll find it at the top-right on iPhone and at the bottom-right on Android.
Tap the “New Chat” button.
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3. Tap New Contact.
At the top of your contact list, you should see a New Contact link.
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4. Fill in the New Contact form – enter the name and phone number at a minimum, though you can also enter any additional details you like. You can also scan someone’s QR code from this page if you wish.
5. When you’re done, tap Save.
Via QR code
On the other person’s phone:
1. Open the WhatsApp app.
2. Tap Settings.
3. At the top of the Settings page, tap the QR code symbol to the right of the person’s name.
Every user has a unique QR code on their profile page in Settings.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider
On your phone:
1. Open the WhatsApp app and tap Settings.
2. At the top of the Settings page, tap the QR code symbol to the right of your name.
3. If you have an iPhone, tap Scan at the bottom of the screen. If you have an Android phone, tap Scan Code at the top of the screen.
Tap “Scan” to open the camera and scan someone else’s code.
Grace Eliza Goodwin/Insider
4. Position your phone over the other phone so you can scan the QR code with the front-facing camera. Wait a moment until the phone vibrates – you’ve now scanned that person’s contact information.
Over the last few years, Signal has become one of the most popular messaging apps around. Favored by tech giants, cybersecurity experts, journalists, government officials, and many more, Signal has gone from a darling secret of the security community to a group chatting phenomenon.
Signal is known for its incredible security and wealth of features. On an internet where it seems that more and more businesses are trying to track you, Signal can keep all of your conversations private.
Here’s a guide to the Signal app, including why it’s become so popular.
The Signal app, explained
Signal is safer and more secure than most messengers because of a process called “end-to-end encryption.” This works by encoding a sender’s message in such a way that only the intended receiver’s device can unlock it.
Neither Signal, nor your phone company, nor the government can read your messages. That’s why it’s remained popular with journalists, government officials, and anyone else who deals with classified materials.
Signal lets you chat securely.
Signal
However, Signal’s messages are only secure if both the sender and receiver are on the app. Otherwise, you’re just sending standard text messages back and forth.
Encryption itself isn’t a unique feature. Apps like iMessage, Telegram, and WeChat all do it to an extent. But unlike other apps, Signal’s source code is publicly available, so experts have been able to poke and prod at its defenses for years, strengthening it in the process.
Signal’s key features
Signal is similar to other messaging apps, but with a lot more security features. It’s available for free on iPhone, Android, Mac, and PC.
Android users can even set their default messaging app to Signal if they want to.
There’s a Signal app on nearly every major system.
If you’re concerned about someone accessing the Signal app from your phone, you can lock the app with the same passcode or fingerprint scan normally used to lock your phone.
Signal requires a phone number to join the app. To keep yours private, you can sign up with a Google voice number. Apple users will want to visit their privacy settings within the app and turn off “Show Calls in Recents” to prevent your history from syncing with the cloud.
You can also set your messages to disappear over time, or photos to disappear after a single viewing.
In short, Signal is an app that’s focused on privacy first, and gives you a wide range of tools to manage that privacy.
Barbara Smith contributed to a previous version of this article.
According to Statista, WhatsApp is considered the single most popular global messaging app in the world with about two billion monthly active users – that’s close to one out of every three people on earth. If you count yourself among them, you may want to use the service for video chats in addition to voice calls and text messaging.
Related Article Module: What is WhatsApp? A guide to navigating the free internet-based communication platform
No matter how you connect to WhatsApp, whether it’s via the mobile app or the desktop app on your PC or Mac, you can join a video call with just a few clicks or taps.
How to make and receive a WhatsApp video call on mobile
On both iPhone and Android, you can start a video call from the WhatsApp Calls tab or from the Chat tab.
To place a video call from the Calls tab
1. Tap the Calls tab, located at the bottom of the screen on iPhone and at the top on Android.
2. Tap the New call button, shaped like a phone. It’s at the top on iPhone and at the bottom on Android.
Tap the “New call” button and then choose who you want to video call.
Dave Johnson
3. In your list of contacts, find the person you want to call. Tap the video button at the far right of the screen to place the call.
To start a video call from the Chats tab
1. Tap the Chats tab, located at the bottom of the screen on iPhone and at the top on Android.
2. In your list of chat messages, find and tap the chat for the person you want to talk to.
3. At the top of the chat page, tap the video button to start the video call.
There’s a button to launch a video call from the top of every chat.
Dave Johnson
How to switch between WhatsApp video and voice calls during a call
You can switch between voice and video on a WhatsApp call already in progress.
To switch from a voice call to a video call
1. Tap the Video button at the bottom of the screen, shaped like a video camera. It’s always visible on Android, but you might need to tap the iPhone screen (or click the desktop screen) to make the controls appear first.
You can switch back and forth between video and audio on the same call.
Dave Johnson
2. The other party will get notified you are switching to video. If your contact chooses to switch, then it becomes a video call. If the other party does nothing or declines the video, it reverts back to a voice call.
To switch from a video call to a voice call
1. Tap the Cancel video button (the video with a slash through it). This disables your video.
2. The other party sees a message that you’ve turned off your video. If he or she also taps the Cancel video button, the call reverts to a voice call. If not, it stays a video call with only one party’s video disabled.
You can switch back and forth between voice and video calls as many times as you like in a call.
How to make a group video call on WhatsApp
One of WhatsApp’s strengths is its ability to handle group video calls with up to eight participants at once. You can launch a group video call several different ways.
From a group or individual chat
1. Tap the Chats tab.
2. In the list of chat messages, tap the chat you want to video call.
3. Tap the Video call button at the top of the screen. The call will start immediately.
4. After the call starts, you can add more people to the video call (up to eight, including yourself). To do that, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap Add participant, then choose the person you want to add to the video call.
Swipe up to add more participants to a call.
Dave Johnson
From the Calls tab
1. Tap the Calls tab.
2. Tap the New call button.
3. At the top of the contact list, tap New group call.
4. Select up to seven people and then tap the Video button.
5. After the call starts, you can add more people to the video call (up to eight, including yourself). To do that, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap Add participant, then choose the person you want to add to the video call.
You can convert a one-on-one video call into a group call at any time. When you’re in a call, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and tap Add participant, then choose the person you want to add to the video call.
How to join a group video call on WhatsApp
If someone includes you in a group video call, you’ll get the invitation when the call starts, but don’t feel pressured to answer right away. Even if you reject the call, you can still get back to it and join the call any time before it ends.
Incoming call
1. When you’re included in a group call, you’ll receive a notification inviting you to join.
2. If you want to accept the call, tap Open. To defer the call, tap Ignore.
3. If you’re joining the call, you’ll see the call menu, where you can preview details about the call including the list of participants. Tap Join.
When someone invites you to a group call, you can see all the participants before choosing to join it.
Dave Johnson
Missed call
If you previously tapped Ignore to defer a video call or you didn’t respond at all, you can still join the video call as long as it’s still in progress.
1. Tap the Calls tab.
2. If the call is still in progress, you’ll see a banner for the call. Tap it to open the call menu screen.
3. Tap Join.
If you miss a video invitation, you can join it later if it’s still in progress.
Dave Johnson
How to make a WhatsApp video call on a computer
There are two ways to use WhatsApp on a computer – on a web browser using WhatsApp Web or on the desktop app, if you’ve installed it. Unfortunately, you can only make video calls using the desktop app version of WhatsApp, not the website version.
2. After you install the app, link WhatsApp on your phone to the desktop. To do that, tap the QR code icon at the top-right of the mobile app. Then tap Scan and point your phone’s camera at the QR code on the desktop app. Finally, tap Link a Device to complete the connection.
You’ll need to scan the QR code on the desktop app with the WhatsApp app on your mobile device to use the desktop version.
Dave Johnson
3. Open the chat you want to video call and then click the Video call button, shaped like a video camera.
Can you multitask on a WhatsApp video call?
WhatsApp doesn’t limit you to your call when you are in a video chat. Instead, you can multitask while in a WhatsApp call. Here’s what you can do:
Minimize the video window. When in a WhatsApp call, tap the back button (on Android, it’s the downward-facing arrow at the top-left, while it’s the left-facing button on iOS). The video call will continue, but the video will be minimized into a small picture-in-picture video window in the corner of the screen.
Move the video window around. After you minimize the video window, you can drag it around anywhere along the edge of either side of the screen.
Do something else in WhatsApp. If you like, you can open other WhatsApp tabs. You can have a text chat while video calling, for example.
Use a different app on your phone. You can start another app and continue to have a video chat in a small window.
Return to a full screen video chat. To make the video go full-screen again (and get the controls to end the call) just tap the video window.
Ireland hit Facebook’s WhatsApp with a record $266 million (€225 million) fine on Thursday, following an inquiry into the app’s transparency around sharing personal data with other Facebook companies.
WhatsApp said the fine was “entirely disproportionate” and that it would appeal.
Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner (DPC), which is the lead data privacy regulator for Facebook within the European Union, said the issues related to whether WhatsApp conformed in 2018 with EU data rules about transparency.
“This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies,” the Irish regulator said in a statement.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said that the issues in question related to policies in place in 2018.
“WhatsApp is committed to providing a secure and private service. We have worked to ensure the information we provide is transparent and comprehensive and will continue to do so,” the spokesperson said.
“We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate,” the spokesperson continued.
Ireland’s DPC takes the lead on data privacy for Facebook because the company’s regional headquarters is in Dublin.
The DPC has been criticized in the past by other European regulators for taking too long to reach decisions involving tech giants and not fining them enough for any breaches.
Data regulators from eight other European countries triggered a dispute resolution mechanism after Ireland shared its provisional decision in relation to the WhatsApp inquiry, which started in December 2018.
In July, a meeting of the European Data Protection Board issued a “clear instruction that required the DPC to reassess and increase its proposed fine on the basis of a number of factors contained in the EDPB’s decision”, the Irish regulator said.
“Following this reassessment the DPC has imposed a fine of 225 million euros on WhatsApp,” it said.
The Irish regulator also imposed a reprimand along with an order for WhatsApp to bring its processing into compliance by taking “a range of specified remedial actions”.
The Irish regulator had 14 major inquiries into Facebook and its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram open as of the end of last year.
Facebook doesn’t make it easy to know whether someone has blocked you.
They do this for privacy and security reasons, which means that, unfortunately, you won’t get confirmation that someone has blocked your account.
However, it is possible to deduce whether you’ve been blocked based on how the Messenger app behaves when you try to send a message.
Here’s how you can tell if someone’s blocked you on the Facebook messaging app.
How to know if someone blocked you on Messenger
When you use the Messenger app on your phone or in a browser on your desktop, you are probably familiar with the status icons next to the messages you send. There are four such icons:
An unfilled, empty circle means the message has not been sent. This is typically because you don’t have any internet access when you try to send a message.
An unfilled icon with a check mark means the message has been sent but not delivered to the recipient.
A check mark icon that’s filled in means the message has been delivered.
An icon that’s filled with your recipient’s profile picture means it has been read.
You can tell if a message has been received or read based on the status icon.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
As long as the recipient is logged into Facebook, your message should be delivered within a few moments, which means you’ll see the check mark icon’s filled-in version. Of course, it might not be read for a while; your recipient needs to open Messenger and view the message thread for that to happen.
If you see this status icon but suspect the user is otherwise active on Facebook, you have probably been blocked.
Dave Johnson/Business Insider
If you send a message to someone and the message is not delivered, meaning that only an unfilled check mark icon appears, it generally means one of two things:
The user has not logged into Facebook.
The user has blocked you on Messenger.
It’s not always possible to tell the difference, but if you see that the recipient has posted to his or her Facebook page or comments on other people’s posts, that implies he or she is logged into Facebook. If your message remains undelivered, you are probably blocked.
Many messaging apps allow you to include stickers in conversations with your friends and family. Telegram, a popular secure messaging app, is unique in that it actually lets you upload and use your own stickers in conversations.
You can create sticker packs and show them off as much as you want. Here’s how to make stickers and use them in your Telegram conversations.
How to make Telegram stickers
Before you can create Telegram stickers, you’ll need image editing software that lets you create PNG files with transparent backgrounds. Adobe Photoshop is the most popular image editing software out there, but if you’re looking for something less expensive, you can poke around the internet for a free alternative – we used GIMP in this instance, and there are plenty of other options available as well.
There are a few rules you need to keep in mind when designing Telegram stickers:
Telegram stickers must be PNG files with a transparent background.
Telegram stickers cannot be larger than 512 x 512 pixels.
Telegram stickers cannot contain copyrighted material (such as images or quotes from popular media).
The completed sticker should have a transparent background, measure 512×512 pixels or smaller, and be saved as a PNG file.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
The process of creating a transparent background for your sticker varies depending on the software you’re using, but in general, you’ll need to add an “alpha channel” to the background in order to create transparency. Once you’ve added an alpha channel, anything you erase or delete in that layer will become transparent, represented by a white and gray checkerboard pattern. With this, you can edit the image to your liking and save it as a PNG file once you’re done.
Just remember that once you’ve made and published a pack of stickers (as we show how to do below), the stickers are public for everyone on Telegram. So if there’s anything in your stickers that you’re not alright with strangers seeing, leave them out.
How to add and use your sticker pack in Telegram
After you’ve created your sticker pack, you’ll need to upload them to Telegram before you can start using them in a chat. To do this, you’ll have to contact the Telegram sticker bot.
1. Open the Telegram app and log in if prompted.
2. Tap on the search bar and type “stickers,” then tap on the Telegram sticker bot once it appears. This will create a new conversation with the sticker bot; tap “Start” to begin.
Start a conversation with the Telegram sticker bot.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
3. Type “/newpack” (without quotation marks) into the message bar and tap the blue arrow to send the message.
4. Type a name for your sticker pack in the message bar and tap the blue arrow.
After you name your sticker pack, Telegram will direct you to upload the file.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
5. Now it’s time to upload your first sticker. Tap on the paperclip icon in the message bar, then tap “File,” and then select the sticker you want to upload.
Make sure you upload your sticker as a file, not a photo; if you try to upload it as a photo, Telegram will reject the sticker.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
6. Use the emoji keyboard to type and send an emoji that applies to the sticker you just uploaded. This helps the sticker bot categorize the stickers.
7. Repeat steps five and six for each sticker you want to include in the sticker pack. Once you’ve finished adding stickers, type “/publish” (without quotation marks) into the message bar and tap the blue arrow.
Once you finish adding stickers to your pack, use the /publish message command to indicate that you’re done.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
8. Telegram will give you the option to upload an icon for your sticker pack. If you choose to do so, the icon must be 100 x 100 pixels. This isn’t required, though, so if you want to skip this step, just type “/skip” (without quotation marks) into the message bar and tap the blue arrow.
The short name you choose will be incorporated in Telegram’s unique link for your sticker pack, so you might have to try a few before finding one that isn’t taken.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
9. Type a short name for your sticker pack and tap the blue arrow. This will be included in the URL that Telegram creates so that you can share the sticker pack. If a short name has already been taken or isn’t usable, Telegram will ask you to choose a different one.
10. Telegram will send you a link for your sticker pack. Tap on the link, then tap “Add Stickers” to download the sticker pack. You can also share the link with your friends so that they can use your stickers as well.
Telegram creates a unique link that you can share with others, allowing them to use your stickers, too.
Chrissy Montelli/Insider
11. Now that you’ve created and downloaded your sticker pack, you’ll be able to include them in messages like any other sticker. Start a conversation with a friend and give it a try.
Once you’ve added them, your stickers will appear in your sticker keyboard and you can use them like any other sticker.
There are several ways you can contact Discord support.
gorodenkoff/Getty Images
You can contact Discord support directly using their online forms for users and developers, via Twitter, or by reaching them via email at support@discordapp.com.
Developers can contact Discord with a specific issue using the Game Dev “Submit a request” feature.
If you want a quicker resolution, you can try to use Discord’s FAQ help center or community forums to get general support or help from fellow Discord users.
Discord – the popular group-chatting platform initially designed for gamers – offers users a way to communicate, play games, stream, listen to music, and more.
With so many users and so many ways to use it, you’re likely to encounter problems on the platform. Regardless of the issue – whether it’s audio and video functionality, your Nitro subscription, or integrating Discord with a game console – contacting the support team is easy.
You can contact Discord for help and support issues through email at support@discordapp.com, via Twitter, or through various means within their help department.
How to contact Discord developer support
Like Discord users, developers are allowed to send support requests. Their request form is a little broader, and the help center isn’t as large, but you can still get answers and related assistance.
Developers can use their own request form to receive help from Discord.
Ron Lyons Jr./Business Insider
First, go to the game developers’ submission request form. Then provide a description of the problem, how the bug is affecting your program’s function, what the program is intended to do without the bug, and what the outcome is of the program with the bug.
You must also include the operating system you’re using and the platform that it’s used on.
If you use WhatsApp regularly, chances are you’ve spotted the login status next to the name of some of your contacts. Though WhatsApp makes your online status visible to everyone by default, you can easily change it.
WhatsApp online status
WhatsApp online status allows users to see the last time their contacts were active on the platform and whether they are currently using the app.
When someone is “online,” it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve seen your message – it simply means they’re currently using the app. “Last seen” refers to the last time the person used WhatsApp and also doesn’t mean that they have seen your most recent message. The only way to tell if someone has seen your message is the blue checkmarks beside the message.
If you don’t want your WhatsApp contacts to know your “last seen” or online status, you can easily hide your status from everyone, or make it available to only your contacts, through the app’s settings.
Here’s how to hide your online status on WhatsApp.
