Popular apps: 12 hidden functions of WhatsApp, Maps, and Spotify
Put Rodrigo Pereira
WhatsApp, Google Maps, Spotify, and Google Translate can solve tasks that are hidden behind the most frequently used buttons. Organizing conversations, planning a route, managing your music queue, and downloading a language can change your routine without requiring a new app. The trick is to choose a specific task and check the corresponding feature in the app you already use.
This guide provides 12 functions already available on your device, three per app, each with a literal path in the menu. Nothing here requires a modified version, extra registration, or a paid plan: these are features of the official app, available on the free plan for Android and iPhone.
When the path changes from one system to another, I've marked it. When the function has a limit, the limit is written along with the step-by-step instructions.
WhatsApp: three features that almost no one opens
It's the most installed app on the list and the one most people use just for text, audio, and stickers. The three functions below notify 40 people at once without creating a group, mute the family group chat, and hide a conversation from anyone who borrows your phone.
1. Broadcast list: one message for up to 256 contacts
The broadcast sends the same message to multiple people, and each person receives it in a private conversation with you. No one sees the other names, and no one responds to everyone.
- On Android, in the Chats tab, tap the three dots in the upper right corner and choose “New broadcast”. On iPhone, the “Broadcast Lists” button is in the upper left corner of the same tab; tap it and then “New list”.
- Select the contacts (the limit is 256 per list) and confirm.
- Write the message as you would in any other conversation. Each person receives it in a private chat with you, and the replies arrive one by one.
The limit that confuses everyone: only those who have your number saved in their contacts receive the service. Those who haven't saved it don't receive it, and the app doesn't notify you.
2. Silence the group forever and leave quietly.
Leaving the family group creates a social problem. Silencing it resolves the same discomfort without creating any.
- Open the group and tap its name at the top of the screen.
- Tap on “Mute notifications” and choose “Always”. The other options are 8 hours and 1 week.
- To remove the group from view, go back to the conversation list, hold your finger on it, and tap "Archive". Since 2021, archived conversations remain archived even when new messages arrive.
If you decide to leave: type the group name, then “Leave group”. Since 2022, only administrators receive the departure notification; for others, you will be removed from the participant list.
3. Block a conversation using your fingerprint and hide it from the list.
Blocking removes the conversation from the main list and requires a fingerprint, face, or password to open it. Notifications arrive without a sender or text, and the media from that conversation doesn't go to the gallery.
- Open the conversation and tap on the contact or group name.
- Tap “Lock conversation” and confirm with your fingerprint, face, or phone PIN.
- The conversation moves to the "Blocked Conversations" folder, at the top of the Conversations tab. If the folder doesn't appear, drag the list down.
- To hide even the folder, open "Blocked Chats," tap the three dots, go to "Chat Lock Settings," and create a "Secret Code." The folder only reappears when you type the code into the search bar.
All of this is in the app store. If someone offered you a "WhatsApp GB" promising extra features, read this first. A guide on what happens to those who use WhatsApp GB.The modified app does not exist on the Play Store and the account may be banned.
Messages, calls, broadcasts, and fingerprint-based chat blocking, all in the official Meta app.
Google Maps: save, share, and carry the map in your pocket.
The Maps app most people use is the one with the search bar and the blue route button. These three functions become a travel journal, a family locator, and a map with no signal.
4. Save places to lists and send the list to friends.
- Find the location or tap it on the map. On the page that opens, tap “Save”.
- Choose a pre-made list (“Favorites”, “Want to visit”, “Bookmarked places”) or tap “New list” and give it a name: Bahia Trip, Bakeries, Birthday.
- To review everything, use the "You" tab in the bottom bar (in older versions it was called "Saved").
- Open the list, tap "Share," and send the link. The recipient will see the same points on their map, and if you enable editing, they can also add places.
5. Real-time location for one hour, one day, or until you turn it off.
- Tap your profile picture in the upper right corner and select “Location sharing”.
- Tap on “Share location”.
- Set the time: start at “For 1 hour” and adjust with the plus and minus buttons, or select “Until you turn it off”.
- Choose a contact from your Google account or tap the icon of another app (WhatsApp, Telegram) to send a link.
The recipient sees your location moving on the map and your phone's battery percentage. To stop before the deadline, return to the same screen and tap "Stop". Without background location permission (the table below shows where it is located), sharing freezes as soon as Maps exits the screen.
6. Offline map: download the region before losing signal.
Tap on your profile picture, go to “Offline Maps”, choose “Select your own map”, drag the rectangle over the area and tap “Download”, preferably over Wi-Fi. Without a signal, car search and routes will continue to work; traffic, public transport and walking routes will not. The map has an expiration date, and the app updates it automatically over Wi-Fi. If your concern is going days without a signal, with Waze, Maps.me and others being compared, the topic is... Guide to offline GPS applications.
Routes, lists of saved places, real-time location, and maps for use without a signal.
Spotify: playlist with friends, sleep timer, and data saving.
The three Spotify tricks work on the free plan. None of them involve downloading music, which is a Premium feature; the free plan only downloads podcasts.
7. Collaborative playlist: everyone adds music.
- In “Your Library”, open a playlist you created (playlists created by Spotify do not accept collaborators).
- Tap the person icon with a plus sign, next to the play button, or the three dots and then “Invite collaborators”.
- Send the link. Whoever opens it becomes a collaborator and can add, remove, and reorder tracks; each song shows who added it.
If you're still deciding between Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music, and Apple Music, the comparison of music streaming apps It shows what each free plan unlocks.
8. Sleep timer: the music stops automatically.
- Tap the track that's playing to open the player in full screen.
- Tap the three dots in the upper right corner.
- Select “Sleep timer” and set it to 5, 10, 15, 30, or 45 minutes, 1 hour, or “End of track” (in podcasts, “End of episode”).
When the time runs out, the app pauses and doesn't resume automatically: you wake up with battery instead of a dead phone on your pillow.
9. Data saving: listen on 4G without exceeding your data allowance.
- On the Home tab, tap the gear icon in the upper right corner (“Settings and privacy”).
- Go to “Data saving and offline” (in older versions, “Audio quality”) and turn on “Data saving”.
- On the same screen, set the streaming quality on your phone to "Low" and leave "High" only for Wi-Fi.
This mode reduces audio quality and disables the Canvas videos that play behind the album cover, which are the ones that consume the most data without you realizing it.
Music and podcast streaming with a free plan, collaborative playlists, and a sleep timer.
Google Translate: Camera, chat, and downloaded language
Almost everyone types into the Translator. The buttons below the text box do the heavy lifting of the trip: reading signs and menus, conversing with people who don't speak your language, and translating when the foreign SIM card doesn't work.
10. Translate the menu using the camera, without typing anything.
- Open the app and tap on “Camera” below the text box.
- Point to the text and hold firmly for a moment. The translation will appear on top, in place of the original.
- Tap the round shutter button to freeze the image; then you can select sections, copy them, and listen to the pronunciation.
- To translate a photo that's already on your phone, tap the gallery icon on the camera screen.
Leave the source on “Detect language” when you don’t know what you’re reading. With the downloaded package (trick 12), the camera works without internet.
11. Conversation mode: the cell phone becomes an interpreter.
- Tap “Chat” on the home screen.
- Choose between the two languages using the buttons at the bottom of the screen.
- Tap “Auto” for the app to detect who is speaking, or tap the microphone below the speaker's language.
- Speak one sentence at a time. The app displays the text in both languages and reads the translation aloud.
The raised hand icon displays a message in the other person's language explaining that you are using a translator; it breaks the ice at hotel and pharmacy counters. This mode requires internet access.
12. Download the language to translate offline
- Tap on your profile picture in the upper right corner and select “Downloaded Languages”.
- Tap the arrow next to each trip language and confirm. Do this over Wi-Fi.
- Ready: Text and camera work in airplane mode. Voice calls still depend on a network connection.
Translation via text, camera, and conversation, with language packs for offline use.
Android vs. iPhone: Where the Path Diverges
Most of the 12 tricks follow the same path on both systems. The table shows which ones change and one extra trick that only exists on Android.
| Function | Android | iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcast list | Conversations > three points > “New transmission” | Conversations > “Broadcast lists”, in the upper left corner |
| Block conversation | Confirm with fingerprint, face, or device PIN. | Confirm with Face ID or Touch ID |
| Real-time location | "Allow all the time" permission on first use. | Settings > Privacy and Security > Location Services > Google Maps > “Always” |
| Offline map | You can go to the SD card (Offline maps > gear > Storage preferences) | Only in internal memory. |
| Tap to translate | There is: profile picture > Settings > “Tap to translate”; copy text in any app and the bubble appears. | It doesn't exist; select the text and use "Translate," which is already included in iOS. |
Why are these functions hidden?
The home screen of each app is designed for the two or three most frequently used actions. The occasional action goes to three places: the three dots, the profile picture, and the gear icon. When you can't find a function, look in those three places, in that order.
The other reason is the business model. WhatsApp is free for individuals because Meta charges businesses that use the WhatsApp Business platform to communicate with customers. Google Maps and Google Translate are free because Google sells the same technology to businesses (the map within the delivery app, the automatic translation of a website) and displays business ads on Maps. The free Spotify subscription relies on ads between songs; Premium charges for silence and downloads. In none of the four cases is there a "full version" sold outside the app store.
Common mistakes when using these tricks.
- Transmission that never arrived. The recipient did not have your number saved. Ask them to save it and resend it.
- Location "until deactivated" forgotten. Open Location Sharing from time to time and see who can still see you; tap "Stop" on what's left of an old ride.
- Cache that swallows up storage. Spotify: Gear icon > “Storage” > “Clear cache”. WhatsApp: Settings > “Storage and data” > “Manage storage”. If your phone is still full after that, the A guide to cleaning apps to speed up your phone. It shows where space disappears.
- Contributor link sent to the entire group. Anyone with the link can delete tracks. For those who are just going to listen, share the regular playlist.
Common questions
Is a broadcast list the same thing as a group?
No. In a broadcast, each person receives the message in a private chat with you and replies only to you; no one else sees who else received it. In a group chat, everyone sees everyone else. A broadcast requires the recipient to have your number saved; a group chat does not.
Does the person know that I blocked their conversation?
No. Blocking is like locking your phone, not taking legal action against the contact. The other person can still send and receive messages; only what appears on your screen and in your notifications changes.
Does sharing your real-time location drain a lot of battery?
It consumes more than normal usage because GPS remains active in the background; therefore, Maps shows your battery level to those following along. Share the timer instead of "until deactivated," and the battery drains automatically.
Does collaborative playlist work on the free Spotify app?
Yes. Creating, inviting, and editing collaborative playlists is available in the free plan on Android and iPhone. What the free plan doesn't do is download music for offline listening; that's a Premium feature.
Start with trick #2: open the noisiest group on your WhatsApp, tap on its name, and choose “Mute notifications” and “Always.” It’s the fastest of the 12; the other 11 can wait until the next trip or the next party.
