If you're using an iPhone, open WhatsApp and press the Chat button at the bottom of the screen (two speech bubbles), then the Compose button in the top right (it looks like a pen on a square of paper). Want to get WhatsApp on your computer? Then visit the WhatsApp website and download it from there.

To install WhatsApp on a smartphone, head to the app store and search for WhatsApp then follow the instructions. Can I install WhatsApp on my laptop and my phone? Virgin Mobile, for example, allows you to send messages, photos, audio files and attachments without eating into your data, although voice and video calls aren’t included in the deal.

If you mainly use WhatsApp on mobile data rather than wi-fi, it may be worth considering a contract that overlooks messaging tools when calculating your data usage. This means that the data you use by using WhatsApp may be deducted from the allowance included as part of your contract (as a guide, a 10-minute video call uses 5MB of mobile data). It’s worth noting that if you’re not connected to wi-fi, WhatsApp will use your mobile data connection.

However, as FaceTime doesn’t run on Android phones or tablets, WhatsApp is ideal if you want to communicate with someone who isn’t using an Apple device. iPhone owners can do this already with users of other iPhones, iPads and Mac computers using FaceTime. It allows you to send messages, pictures, videos and even voice recordings, and to make voice and video calls over the internet for free, rather than paying to do the same using your mobile network. WhatsApp is a free app for iPhones, Android smartphones, Macs and Windows PCs.

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