Everything new, shown on the phone

Redesigned chats (themes, stickers, effects, polls, lists, countdowns and more), a new timeline with For you and Following, a new post composer, instant moments and calls with more controls.

In this guide every feature has its own demo: pick one and watch the phone.

No. Your chats from the previous app move to the new one on their own in the background, and so do your moments and timelines. New photos and files are saved in the same folders as always.

Yes. Messages, photos, videos, stickers, locations and calls work both ways with people still on the store app.

Some new features don't reach them: effects arrive as plain text, “View once” can't be sent to them and, if you change the chat theme, it only changes on your phone.

On iPhone, the chat header and some bars have a glass effect. On Android those surfaces are solid and the conversation starts right below the header. The features are the same.

Swipe the bubble to the right, or hold it and tap Reply. In groups, the quote shows who you're replying to.

No. You can edit your text messages and delete them for everyone whenever you want. Editing shows “edited”; deleting leaves “This message was removed”.

The read time is in Message info, and only in 1:1 chats. If you turned off your read receipts, you can't see other people's either.

Up to 5 per chat, and they're pinned for everyone. When you pin a sixth, the oldest one is unpinned.

Search is at the top of the chat list and looks through everything: chats, messages, photos and contacts. Tap a message and the chat opens right there.

Enter adds a line break, so you can write on several lines. The button on the right is the one that sends.

Tap + › Format and use the bar that appears below the text field. You can also type *bold*, _italic_ or ~strikethrough~, and start a line with “- ” or “1. ” for a list.

Yes: their wallpaper changes too and they see a notice that you changed the theme. If they still use the store app, the change stays on your phone only.

Waves start off. Turn them on in Customize › Waves and tap Apply. They're saved per chat and only on your phone.

“Happy birthday” sets off balloons; “congrats” and “congratulations”, confetti; “I love you” and “love you”, hearts; “happy new year”, fireworks. They also work in Spanish, Portuguese and French.

It only shows up in 1:1 chats, when the other person uses version 2 and the chat doesn't have disappearing messages turned on.

Only the people in the chat. Every chat has end-to-end encryption; the lock under the name is a reminder. Hold it to read what it means.

No, only in 1:1 chats. Choose 24 hours, 7 days, 90 days or “Once seen” in the contact info.

In “Once seen”, the chat lets you know a screenshot was taken. While the screen is being recorded or shared, those messages aren't shown. On Android, photos that open once can't be captured.

It usually happens when the other person reinstalls the app or changes phones. If you want to be sure, compare the safety numbers in their info in person.

People you don't know don't go straight into your chats: they wait in “Message requests”, where you accept, ignore or block them. In Account Privacy you choose who can message you.

Documents can be up to 2 GB. A photo over 15 MB is reduced instead of rejected, and a video your phone can't convert is sent as a file.

A voice note lasts between 1 second and 5 minutes; when it reaches 5 minutes, it sends itself. A video note lasts up to 60 seconds.

Yes. You see the progress in the bubble and can keep sending messages. The × on the bubble stops the upload.

It makes the photo, video or voice note open only once. It can't be copied, forwarded, saved or pinned, and if nobody opens it, it's deleted after 14 days.

“For you” recommends posts based on what you're into; the more you interact, the better it gets. In “Following” you only see the timelines you follow.

It's sensitive content: it's covered with the reason, and you decide whether to see it with “See photo”. It stays visible until you close the app.

Up to 4 photos or videos. If you leave the composer, it asks whether you want to save the draft.

Open: anyone can find it, see it and post. Public: anyone can see it, but you choose who posts. Private: only approved members see and post.

In the ⋮ menu of one of their posts, tap “Mute @username”. It lasts 30 days and you can turn it off sooner.

24 hours. They arrive instantly, and the colored ring on the photo tells you there's something you haven't seen.

Tap the call in their chat, find it in Activities › Calls or, on iPhone, in the Phone app's Recents.

In Activities › Calls, tap the ⓘ on that call: you see what time it started, how long it lasted, when it ended and that it was encrypted.

Tap the audio button in the call: with headphones or Bluetooth connected, “Audio output” opens so you can choose. On Android you can use the earpiece even with headphones connected.

It's what you haven't seen yet in Activities. It clears when you open the tab; chat mentions and reactions are marked as seen when you open that chat.

In Activities › Requests, tap Accept on their request. You can also reject it.

Yes: swipe the row to the left. In Calls, hold one to select several and delete them together, or tap Clear All.

All only shows missed calls. Incoming and outgoing calls are in the Calls chip.

On your profile, tap the pencil, then the camera on your photo or “Change cover”. Choose Camera or Gallery, adjust it and tap Save changes.

On secure accounts, the first and last name can't be changed from the profile. The description and photo can.

You choose: Only me, My Contacts, My Zone or Everyone. It's in Edit profile and in Settings › Account Privacy.

Tap the QR at the top of your profile and let them scan it. You can also copy your link or share it through other apps.

Turn on Settings › Account Privacy › Private Profile. Others only see your name, photo and username.

Tap the name at the top of the chat, then Mute: 8 hours, 1 week or Always. Nobody else sees that you muted it.

You › gear › Appearance, and choose System, Light mode or Dark mode.

In You › gear › Backup. Tap Back Up or pick a frequency so it runs on its own. If you encrypt it, keep your PIN safe.

In Account Privacy › Messages, choose “Requested”. People who aren't your contacts stay in Message requests until you accept them.

Settings › Blocked contacts, tap Unblock and confirm.

You can log out and keep your chats on the phone, or log out and clear the device data. Your account stays active on your other devices.

Settings › Account › Dangerous area › Delete account. You have to type DELETE MY ACCOUNT to confirm; it can't be undone.

It's an account with a verified identity: it has a green check and an identity score. If yours isn't one yet, “Get Secure” on your profile takes you through verification.