A Brief WhatsApp Tutorial
What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a free application available for any smartphone (iPhone or Android). It works on WiFi, so you do not need to have an international phone plan for this to work.
However, you DO need to be connected to the internet for it to work.
Why do you use it?
We use WhatsApp on our journeys to stay in touch both before the tour begins and while we are together on our journey.
On tour we use it to keep in touch with each other after we have retired to the hotel (it beats writing and distributing a dozen notes under hotel room doors!) This comes in handy not only for schedule changes, but also as a way for guests to stay in touch with each other for meeting up for meals or happy hours! It’s also a good way to send schedules out and to share pictures on the go.
It’s also a great, free way to stay in touch internationally with loved ones over wifi, with the convenience of text messaging. If you don’t love it, you can delete it immediately after the trip.
How & When do I install it?
You must install WhatsApp and activate it when you are still at home on your cellular service, because the app will send you a text message verification to your phone number. You cannot activate WhatsApp once you have left home (unless you have an international phone place).
Visit whatsapp.com/dl on your mobile phone to install
Once downloaded from your app store and opened, the instructions WhatsApp gives you are straightforward. If you’d like further guidance, please see a tutorial such as this one: https://www.wikihow.com/Use-WhatsApp
Using WhatsApp when you are on tour
Please make sure you connect to the hotel’s wifi so you can send and receive messages.
We will create a group chat before the trip begins, so you don’t need to worry about finding or adding anyone.
Please make sure you are receiving notifications on your phone, so that you will see when you receive a WhatsApp message. On an iPhone, you would click “settings” in the lower right-hand corner and make sure both notification settings are “on.”
You can send and receive messages just like text messages on WhatsApp. We try to keep the Group Chat only for messages pertinent to the whole group; if you would like to contact someone directly, you can follow these directions (photos to follow).
- Click the name of the Group when you are inside the chat (located on the very stop of the screen).
- Scroll down.
- Click the name of the person you wish to contact.
- Select “Send Message” in the menu that pops up.
- Alternatively, if that person has already messaged the group, click on that person’s message and a menu will pop up. From there select “Message [Person’s Name].”
How do I share pictures?
Once you are in the chat, if you click the “+” sign to the left of where you would type text, another menu pops up. Click on “Photo & Video Library” if you want to share a photo you’ve already taken, or “Camera” if you want to take a picture at that moment.
How to Mute the Chat (before and after the trip but not DURING the trip)
We never want to disturb you with our informational messages while we are all in different time zones. If you do NOT silence your phone at night, we ask that you do mute our WhatsApps group so the anxiety of accidentally disturbing you doesn’t tear us apart.
To mute a group chat, click on the Group Name and you’ll see this screen:
Click the “Mute” selection (circled above) and you can choose how long to mute it. You will still receive messages but your phone will not send you notifications, so do be sure to occasionally check it.
After the Trip: Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?
We’ll keep the WhatsApp group alive indefinitely, if you choose to stay on and stay in touch. It might be a good idea to mute the group then, too. If you want to leave, you can click on the Group Name one more time, scroll all the way to the bottom, and select “Exit Group.”
