How to Remove WhatsApp Blue Ticks aka 'Read Receipt'

Much to the chagrin of its users, WhatsApp quietly introduced read receipts (letting people see exactly when a message is read, not just delivered) earlier this month. The app always showed one tick mark when you sent a message, which changed to two grey ticks when it was delivered. Now, the app shows two blue ticks when the recipient has read your message

This feature was rolled out without an update to the app itself. This means that there was no privacy setting to disable read receipts when the feature was rolled out. The lack of this basic feature in WhatsApp really ticked us off, and we had promised that we'd be back with a tutorial on how to disable WhatsApp blue ticks as soon as it was possible. True to our word, here we are now that WhatsApp has unveiled this feature for Android.

Here's how to get rid of those annoying blue ticks in WhatsApp - but if you do this, then you won't be able to see the receipts either. If you want to check when other people see your messages, then you need to allow them to see read receipts from you. For now, this is only possible for Android users, and only if you manually update the app via the WhatsApp website. WhatsApp typically releases updates first via its website, and then rolls out the update for Android's Google Play store, followed by updates for other platforms, so the update will be available for all devices soon.

The first step is to get the latest APK file from WhatsApp:

Download the latest (version 2.11.444) WhatsApp apk from the official website.

On your Android phone, go to Settings > Security > Check Unknown sources, to enable installing apps from outside Google Play. Note that the exact path to the setting can vary depending on your device manufacturer and Android version - the important thing to note is that you enable installing apps from unknown sources.

1. Open the apk on your Android phone. This will install the latest version of the app on your device.
2. Once the app is installed, here's how to disable read receipts:
3. Open WhatsApp and tap three vertical dots icon on the top right.
4. Now go to Settings > Account > Privacy.
5. Uncheck Read receipts.

That will disable the blue ticks on WhatsApp. As we noted above, feature isn't available on other platforms or on Google Play as yet, but now that this feature has appeared on the official WhatsApp apk, we can hope that an update will bring it to all platforms.

If you have any queries/feedback, please write it in comments section below OR mail me here: Snehal[at]Techproceed[dot]com

Happy WhatsApping  :-)

How to Backup and Restore WhatsApp Messages

WhatsApp is definitely the most popular instant messaging app on Android and the fact that around 500 million people have already downloaded it proves how insanely popular the instant messaging app is.

On an average ground 1 billion messages are exchanged between WhatsApp users everyday and the count is ever increasing. WhatsApp can be downloaded for free, however the app is only free for the first year and after that you will have to pay $0.99 ( Rs.55 ) per year in order to continue using it. Well, that’s a very negligible fee for keeping you connected with your friends throughout the year.

However unlike other instant messengers, WhatsApp does not store your conversations and chats online. Your chats are stored on your phone and if you are going to format your phone, all your chats will be deleted too. Similarly if you switch to a new phone and install WhatsApp on it, you won’t be able to view your old messages.

The good thing is, WhatsApp automatically performs a backup of all your chats, photos and videos everyday and stores it on your phone’s memory. If you want to backup your WhatsApp messages, you can copy the backup file to your PC and later use it restore your messages on another phone.

For those who are planning to format your phone or switch to a newer phone, here’s how you can backup all your chats from WhatsApp and restore it later.

How to Backup Whatsapp Messages

Step 1: Go to the Settings on WhatsApp. 

Step 2: Tap on ” Chat settings “. 

Step 3: Tap on ” Backup Conversations “. 

Step 4: Next you will have to connect your phone to your PC. 

Step 5: Browse your phone’s memory though your PC and locate the WhatsApp folder. 

Step 5: Copy the WhatsApp folder and store it on your PC. The WhatsApp folder will contain all the WhatsApp chats backups, photos, videos and audio files. 

Note: If you only want to backup the chats, you will only have to copy the latest WhatsApp backup located in the Database folder.

How to Restore WhatsApp Messages

Step 1: Copy the WhatsApp folder to your new Phone memory’s root location. 

Step 2: Install WhatsApp from the Google Play Store and once it is installed open it. 

Step 4: Tap on ” Agree and Continue “. 

Step 5: Enter your old phone number. 

Step 6: WhatsApp will automatically check for existing backups and prompt you to restore your messages. Tap on Restore to restore all the messages, photos and videos. 

Step 7: Once the messages, photos and backups are restored you will be notified with a congratulations message. 

That’s it, now all the WhatsApp chats, photos, videos and audio files should be restored on your new phone. This process should be same for mobile Os such as iOS and blackberry, however the WhatsApp folder location might differ.

If you have any queries/feedback, please write it in comments section below OR mail me here : Snehal[at]Techproceed[dot]com

Happy Whatsapping  :-)

Telegram Messenger for Windows 7/8 PC

This post is about Telegram for PC or Telegram Messenger for PC. Those who do not know Telegram is an Android, iOS and Windows app which is a messenger. We have seen WhatsApp taking the world by storm. WhatsApp rocked because it was simple and fast. Other alternatives of WhatsApp like Wechat, Line came and went but WhatsApp stood up against them. You can use WhatsApp for PC & WeChat for PC. Now, Telegram messenger is doing the same thing as WhatsApp. It is similar to WhatsApp and has some positive points. The best thing is that Telegram is available for PC, So you can easily download Telegram Messenger for PC (Windows). You can download following Android apps for PC.

There are many features of Telegram messenger and they are almost same as WhatsApp but There are some benefits of TeleGram over WhatsApp:

• You can send messages with internet on Telegram.
• You can send pictures with Telegram Messenger.
• You can see when your friends were last online.
• Benefits of Telegram over WhatsApp Messenger
• A PC client is available so you can easily use Telegram on PC.
• It is fast
• It has encrypted secure chat feature
• The verification process is easy.

How To Install Telegram on PC (Windows)

You can easily install Telegram messenger on PC by following the simple steps

• Download Telegram for PC from this link: http://tdesktop.com/win/current
• Install the .exe file on your Windows PC.
• Open the installed Telegram Messenger application and Click on start messaging (Make sure you are connected to Internet).

• On the next screen it will detect your country automatically and ask for your phone number. Register a new number or enter the old number if you already have a Telegram account as shown.
• It will send you a pin on the phone number for verification.

• Now , your account will be activated. Enter you details by going to settings and upload a profile picture and customize the options according to your choice.

You could send your queries/issues faced to Snehal [at] TechProceed [dot] com.

Congratulations, You have just Installed Telegram on PC (Windows). Share this article with your friends and let them know about this cool app. 

Everyone Who Thinks Facebook Is Stupid To Buy WhatsApp For $19 Billion Should Think Again!

Facebook made a breathtaking move yesterday, buying messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion.

Even for Facebook, that's a staggering amount to pay for a company with estimated 2013 revenue of only $20 million. It represents almost 10% of Facebook's overall value.

And in the wake of the announcement, the usual chorus of armchair pundits took to Twitter to snicker together and pronounce Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, brain dead.

But Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't brain dead.

It's just bold.

Very bold.

Like other bold moves, Facebook's WhatsApp deal could end up looking brilliant.

Or moronic.

That's what makes it bold.

If it were guaranteed to end up looking brilliant, it wouldn't be bold. It would be obvious.

I don't know how Facebook's WhatsApp deal will end up looking - and neither, it's worth noting, do any of the pundits who are pronouncing it brain dead. Based on everything I do know, though, I think the odds are that it will end up looking brilliant.

Here's why:

WhatsApp has both offensive and defensive value to Facebook.WhatsApp is the fastest-growing company in history (in terms of users). If the company's growth continues, and it can continue to "monetize" its users, it will be worth an even more mind-boggling amount of money someday. At the same time, WhatsApp's growth is gobbling up user messaging and connection time that once could have belonged to Facebook. Now those users and their time do belong to Facebook. So buying WhatsApp allows Facebook to both own "the next Facebook" and prevent "the next Facebook" from eating Facebook's lunch.

WhatsApp's growth and usage is absolutely mind-boggling. Five years after its founding, the company has 450 million active monthly users, of which a staggering ~315 million use it every day. WhatsApp is adding 1 million new users a day - 1 million! Facebook thinks WhatsApp could have 1 billion users in a few years, and this estimate seems conservative. (Facebook itself only has 1.2 billion users.) WhatsApp also does a lot more than "text-messaging." It allows users to send photos, videos, and voicemails to each other and keep the conversations forever. In short, it allows users to do a lot of what Facebook does. So, again, Facebook really does appear to be buying "the next Facebook."

WhatsApp already has a powerful revenue model, and other successful messaging apps are showing the potential for it to add many more. WhatsApp ostensibly charges its users $1 per year after the first year. ("Ostensibly" because I've never heard of anyone actually paying this $1). Assuming most current users end up paying the $1/year, that's a potential revenue stream of several hundred million dollars a year from WhatsApp's current revenue model alone. Meanwhile, other messaging apps like Line and WeChat have demonstrated the power of "stickers," user-to-user payments, ecommerce, and other revenue streams. When you have as many users as WhatsApp, generating even only a few dollars per year per user creates a massive business.

WhatsApp has very low costs, so it should eventually be wildly profitable. WhatsApp currently has only 55 employees. Assuming an all-in cost of $200,000 per employee, that's a total cost base of $11 million. Let's assume WhatsApp grows to, say, 300 employees over the next few years. Then it will have a cost base of only $50-$75 million. Meanwhile, if the company's growth trajectory continues, it could easily be pulling in more than $1 billion a year of revenue in a few years. Almost all of that would be profit.

The names of all the smart people who pronounced Facebook itself a "fad" or "worthless" and dissed every new investment in the company as "moronic" could fill a book. Most people have consistently underestimated the power, growth potential, and value of the leading social platforms, including Facebook. Facebook's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, for example, which was then a revenue-less company with 13 employees, was seen as proof that Mark Zuckerberg was a clueless kid who had no business running a major company. Meanwhile, Facebook is now valued at $175 billion, and Instagram is considered one of the smartest pre-emptive acquisitions in history. $19 billion for WhatsApp is a much bolder bet than Instagram, but it, too, could end up looking a lot smarter than most people think.

The bottom line:

This is a very bold move.

Like other bold moves, it might end up looking stupid, but it also might end up looking brilliant.

It's also a long-term move, a bet on what the future will look like 5-10 years from now, not next quarter.

In that way, this deal is a vintage Mark Zuckerberg move.

Zuckerberg continues to be one of the few CEOs in the world (Jeff Bezos is another) who is willing to sacrifice near-term earnings and expose himself to short-term ridicule in order to make bold long-term bets. This approach has worked out great for Facebook so far. And it has worked out great for Amazon.

In short, Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't stupid. It's just bold.