WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps used worldwide. With over 2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp allows people to easily connect with friends and family through messaging, voice and video calls. Jio phone is a 4G feature phone launched by Reliance Jio in India. The combination of WhatsApp and Jio phone has made instant messaging even more accessible and affordable for millions of Indians.
Availability of WhatsApp on Jio Phone
WhatsApp is available for download on the Jio phone through the Jio Store app which comes pre-installed. The Jio Store is Reliance Jio’s app store from where users can download and install various apps on their Jio phone. WhatsApp is one of the major apps available for download.
To get WhatsApp on your Jio phone, simply open the Jio Store app, search for WhatsApp and tap on install. The app will get downloaded and installed on your Jio phone. However, you need to have an active internet connection on your Jio phone to be able to use WhatsApp.
Registration and Verification
Once WhatsApp is installed on your Jio phone, you need to register with your mobile number to activate the app. WhatsApp will send a one-time password via SMS to verify your number. This verification code needs to be entered in WhatsApp to complete the activation process. Your Jio phone number will now be registered with WhatsApp.
An important point to note is that WhatsApp can only be activated with one number on one device at a time. So if you were previously using WhatsApp on another smartphone with the same number, then your account will now be shifted to the Jio phone.
Messaging
The core messaging feature of WhatsApp works seamlessly on Jio phone. You can send instant text messages to any of your WhatsApp contacts. Messages are delivered instantly over the internet. WhatsApp has also introduced useful messaging tools like text formatting, emojis, media sharing, document sharing etc which elevate the messaging experience.
Some tips for using WhatsApp messaging on Jio phone:
- Type out your message in the text box at the bottom and hit send or press the green tick icon to send it.
- You can format text as bold, italics, strike-through or monospace by selecting the text and tapping the B/I/S/M icon.
- To send an emoji, tap on the smiley icon next to the text box to open the emoji keyboard.
- You can share photos, videos, documents and other media by tapping on the paperclip icon in the text box.
- To delete a message, long press on the message bubble and tap delete.
Voice and Video Calls
WhatsApp also allows making FREE voice and video calls to other WhatsApp users over the internet. Jio phone supports both voice and video calling via WhatsApp.
To make a WhatsApp call on Jio phone:
- Open the chat of the contact you want to call.
- Tap on the phone or video icon at the top right.
- Confirm the call when prompted. The other person will get an incoming WhatsApp call notification.
- Enjoy crystal clear calls with your loved ones for free.
Remember, both you and the recipient need to have an active internet connection for WhatsApp calls to work. Calling over Wi-Fi or mobile data does not cost anything, except the internet charges.
Group Chats
Group chats are a fun way to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers on WhatsApp. Jio phone fully supports WhatsApp’s group chat feature.
Here’s how you can use WhatsApp groups on Jio phone:
- Tap on the New Group icon in the chats tab.
- Select the contacts you want to add to the group. Tap on the tick icon once done.
- Enter a group name and description.
- Tap on the arrow icon to create the group.
- Start messaging! Send texts, photos, voice notes and even make group video calls.
- Add or remove people from the group later if needed.
WhatsApp groups are great for creating school batches, office project teams, friends & family circles and many other closed communities.
Media Sharing
Sharing photos, videos and other media files instantly with individuals or groups is easy with WhatsApp on Jio phone. The app compresses media while sending so that you can share high-quality photos and videos without using much mobile data.
Here are some tips for sharing media on WhatsApp using Jio phone:
- Click a photo or video from within WhatsApp camera.
- You can also select existing photos/videos from phone storage.
- Tap on the paperclip icon when typing a message.
- Select the media you want to send and tap send.
- Photos and short videos get sent as-is while large files are compressed.
- Received media gets automatically saved to phone gallery.
Security
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption for your chats by default. This allows only you and the person you’re communicating with to read what is sent, and nobody in between, not even WhatsApp.
On Jio phone, you get the same level of security through features like:
- Encryption of messages, media, calls etc.
- 2-step verification for account security.
- Security notifications when an unknown third-party joins a group.
- Block and report unknown contacts.
- Option to hide last seen, profile photo and status from specific contacts.
Enable security features like 2-step verification and privacy settings from WhatsApp Settings on your Jio phone for extra protection.
Backup & Restore
WhatsApp on Jio phone allows you to seamlessly backup and restore your chats. Your messages and media get backed up automatically to Google Drive at a daily frequency.
If you ever switch phones or reinstall WhatsApp, you can restore all your chats and data during setup by simply verifying your number.
Backup happens only when your phone is idle, connected to power and has an active internet connection. Backup frequency can be changed in WhatsApp Settings.
Useful Tools
Along with the major features, WhatsApp on Jio phone also offers some useful tools that improve daily messaging:
- WhatsApp Web – Use WhatsApp on your computer by scanning a QR code from your Jio phone.
- Broadcast Lists – Create broadcast lists to send messages to many contacts at once.
- Stickers – Express yourself better with tons of fun stickers available within WhatsApp.
- Status – Share text, photo and video statuses that disappear after 24 hours.
- Payments – Send or receive money securely through WhatsApp Pay (wherever available).
Data Usage
WhatsApp provides an efficient and lightweight experience on the Jio phone. Voice calls use very minimal data, even less than 1MB per hour. Text messages have almost negligible data usage.
Sharing photos and videos uses your data allowance but is highly optimized by WhatsApp’s compression technology so that you can share more with less data usage.
To save more data on Jio phone, enable ‘Low Data Usage’ mode in WhatsApp settings. This disables auto-downloads and sends lower quality media.
Limitations
Due to the hardware and software limitations of the Jio phone, there are some restrictions in WhatsApp functionality compared to using it on smartphones:
- No option to directly capture photos/videos from within WhatsApp.
- Media quality sharing restricted to match Jio phone’s capabilities.
- Some formatting tools missing from chat text box.
- No landscape orientation support for video calls.
- Limited backup size – backs up most recent 7 days of chats only.
- No multi or broadcast messaging beyond 5 contacts at once.
However, the core WhatsApp experience of convenient messaging remains excellent. Voice and video calls work flawlessly. Overall, WhatsApp proves to be a very useful app even on the modest Jio phone.
Tips for Using WhatsApp on Jio Phone
Here are some tips and tricks to use WhatsApp even better on your Jio phone:
- Always have an active internet connection for sending media and calls.
- Use WhatsApp Web to type longer messages easily on a linked computer.
- Minimize data usage by enabling ‘Low Data Usage’ mode.
- Frequently backup chats to avoid losing chat history.
- Turn on call waiting if you want to receive WhatsApp calls while on another call.
- Save important media from WhatsApp chats to phone gallery.
- Create broadcast lists to quickly send messages to multiple people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common FAQs about using WhatsApp on the Jio phone:
Does WhatsApp work on 2G networks?
While WhatsApp will install and open on 2G networks, most features will not work properly due to the slow internet speeds. At least 3G network is recommended for using WhatsApp.
Can I use WhatsApp on Jio Phone without a SIM?
No, an active Jio SIM card is required for using WhatsApp on the Jio phone. WhatsApp verifies your number through an SMS sent to the SIM.
How much data does WhatsApp use on Jio phone?
WhatsApp uses very little data for chat messages. Voice calls use approx 1MB per hour. Video calls use 10-20MB per hour. Sharing media can use 3-5MB per photo and 25-50MB per minute of video.
Can I back up WhatsApp from Jio phone to Google Drive?
Yes, WhatsApp chats are automatically backed up to your Google Drive account from the Jio phone as long as backups are enabled in WhatsApp settings.
Is my Jio number WhatsApp account different from my smartphone?
No, your WhatsApp account is the same across devices. Just use the same number to activate WhatsApp on Jio phone to access your existing chats and data.
Conclusion
To conclude, WhatsApp offers an excellent messaging experience even on the modest Jio phone. Core features like calling, messaging, media sharing and group chats work very well. Convenience features like backup/restore, broadcast lists and WhatsApp Web improve the experience further. Data and battery consumption is highly optimized. Of course, there are some limitations compared to using WhatsApp on smartphones but overall it proves to be one of the most useful apps for Jio phone users.