Billions of WhatsApp users must avoid three huge mistakes – check app to be safe

WHATSAPP is one of the most popular chat apps in the world – but are you using it right?

There are some WhatsApp mistakes you should avoid.

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Some blunders will waste your time, while others could prove very costly.

Here’s what you need to know…

Don’t send anyone your WhatsApp code

There’s a clever scam you need to be aware of.

The attack revolves around the six-digit verification code that WhatsApp gives out when you want to regain access to your account.

It also involves a hacker taking control of one of your contact’s WhatsApp accounts and messaging you pretending to be them.

The hacker will message pretending to be your friend around the same time you get a text or email from WhatsApp with a verification code that the hacker has requested by pretending to be you.

This code is only given when you try and make changes to your account.

The hacker – posing as your friend – will pretend they’ve accidentally asked for the verification code to be sent to your number and will ask you to send it over.

You should never share the six-digit code with anyone.

If you do, the hacker will be able to take over your account.

You’ll no longer have access to your account and the hacker can try and scam your friends and read your private messages.

If you do get a suspicious message from a friend, try ringing them to see if you can talk to them in person and verify what is going on.

WhatsApp has also recently started doing some checks when switching accounts between devices, so it may be harder for hackers to pull this trick off in the future.

Don’t let your messages live forever

WhatsApp has a handy feature that will automatically self-destruct new texts after a day.

The update is aimed at boosting your privacy – by destroying old WhatsApp messages.

You can set Disappearing Messages to automatically turn on for all new chats – without affecting existing conversations.

And two new durations have been added for Disappearing Messages, 24 hours and 90 days.

So now you can choose from four options in total: 24 hours, 7 days, 90 days or Off.

Go to the app Settings > Account > Privacy and then turn on Default Message Timer.

Bear in mind that this system isn’t perfect.

Someone could still screenshot or copy your texts to keep a record of them.

So if you really want to keep something off the internet, consider not posting it – unless you’re messaging someone you absolutely trust.

Don’t spend ages looking for chats

There’s an easy way to prioritise your favourite people in WhatsApp.

If you have a busy WhatsApp, sometimes loves one can get buried below groups and work chats.

But it’s actually possible to pin several chats so that they stay at the top of your main conversation feed.

Go into your chat list and then swipe right on a conversation.

You can then tap Pin and that specific chat will stick to the top of the feed.

And if you change your mind later on, you can unpin at any time.