Today, messengers are probably the most popular way of communication. It is hard to find people that do not use Telegram, Viber or other alternatives. And it is hard to imagine that you do not hear about WhatsApp. Today, the app has up to 1.5 billion monthly active users from over 180 countries around the world. Every day they sent nearly 60 billion messages. So what functionalities the app has? 

Functionality

WhatsApp launched ten years ago, to be more precise, in 2009. It is free to download and use. If you are a newcomer, here is a quick guide of how to get started: 

• Download the app from Google Play or Apple Store. Also, you can find the version for your computer. WhatsApp automatically synchronize the account's data across the devices;
• If you get permission, it can even import all your phone contacts and tell you whether or not your friends using the app;
• To start a conversation you just need to tap on the chat. 

WhatsApp allows users to share different kinds of messages: it can be text, audio, video or any media file (image, file, etc). But be aware that the app automatically downloads all media to your phone library. So if you do not want to use this feature, you need to go to settings and manually switch it off. Users can choose what data and storage usage they prefer for downloading. For example, as the images are small in size, you can set up WiFi and Cellular data but for audio, videos, and documents we strongly recommend you to use the only wireless connection. Also, you can create groups and add dozens of people. If someone typing, you will see an italic “typing….”. 

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have a lot of similar things. It is no surprise there, in 2014 Facebook bought the app for $19 billion. On the other hand, it has differences. For example, to use WhatsApp you do not need to have a Facebook account like in Messenger. The phone number will be sufficient. Moreover, if you switch the SIM or move to another country, the app will save your previous chat history. 

But the biggest advantage of the app is its privacy policy. All messages that you sent to your friends using end-to-end encryption. So only you and your recipient can read it. Also, you can create the Broadcast Lists to message multiple people at once. It is a simple way to communicate with a large group of people. But be aware that only contacts with your phone number in their address book will receive the broadcast messages. 

Usability

WhatsApp has a decent level of usability. Once you sign in, you will always stay logged in user, so you don't miss messages. On the main screen, you will see all your chats. Also, on the bottom, the users can find the control panel with Status, Calls, Camera, Chats, and Settings buttons. The Groups and Broadcast Lists creation are also done from the main screen.