Category: Advice

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Whats Up with WhatsApp

[11:18, 28/01/2020] David Hughes: I have just discovered I can access what’s app on my iPad as well as my phone. Isn’t technology wunerful !
[11:27, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: I think you still have to have your phone connected, David.
[11:30, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: I think you do too. Paul showed us a way of doing that at tge beginning of the year when we started using WhatsApp. I’ll share the link later. Me … it’s rumoured they’re going to release an iPad App – I’ll wIt for that! But, perhaps, you’re ahead of me!
[13:01, 28/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: When I started using Whats App, pre Computer Group days, I found I could not have it on both Android phone and tablet.  Had to be one or the other.  Confirmed by kids, and its now only on the tab.  I would be delighted if anyone knows a way to have it operational on both.
[17:31, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Margaret, your tablet will have a different phone number to your mobile’s, yes? That means they can both be on WhatsApp, but they won’t be able to read each other’s messages, any more than they can read mine.
Now, you are a member of the Computer group, so you can read and reply to other members’ WhatsApp messages.
So the answer to your problem is to form a new WhatsApp group, and make your tablet and your phone members, so they can then see what each of them are doing. Simple! (I hope.)
(If the problem is that you want your phone to be in the Computer group too, then send a request from it to David.)
[17:37, 28/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Jim, That sounds an interesting option wrt grouping.
[18:04, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: Hi @Margaret Lewis As far as I know (or knew) I’d added your phone to the Group, unless your tablet has a SIM in it and that’s the phone number you gave me.
[18:05, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: The number I have ends 5213
[18:32, 28/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Thanks for all the comments.
Yes, it all operates through the one and only mob no. that you have.
The issue seems to be that, as far as I understand it and was led to believe, WA only operates on one device for the account.
I have several WA groups so live happily with the present set up but availability on the phone too would obviously give more flexibility and more instant access.
[18:37, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Have you read my reply, Margaret? You can open a new WhatsApp account for your phone, and ask David to add it to the Computer group. Jim
[11:50, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: “The one and only mob. no. that you have.” Are you saying your tablet uses the same number as your phone, Margaret?
[19:01, 29/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: As far as I know it doesnt have a number.  I certainly only have one number, on the phone.
[20:39, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Can anyone else in the Computer group tell Margaret how to find out if her tablet has a phone number? (Presumably it has a sim.) She obviously won’t be able to join the WhatsApp group without one.
[21:41, 29/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Well Ive been in the computer group Whats App since last Sept and others before that.
[21:44, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Yes of course, Margaret, but via your phone, not your tablet. That is what I am trying to help you with.
[21:54, 29/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Most  Tablets in the UK do not have a SIM, it is usually an extra cost option , that cannot be retrofitted. There are various workarounds for extra connectivity if really needed.
[22:37, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: Just a thought – there are unofficial Messenger apps for WhatsApp on the iPad (maybe Android as well) – could it be this that’s causing confusion?
[22:39, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: I used one for a while about 18months ago before deleting it. These apps link to WhatsApp Web which is the only way I’m aware of that allow you to use WhatsApp through browser technology.
[22:40, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: This is really confusing to me as well as @Margaret Lewis no doubt. Bring both devices in next meeting if you can and we’ll try and sort it out.
[09:29, 30/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: That’s a good plan, David. Then we will be able to see if Margaret’s tablet has a sim slot, (like my Nexus).
[14:36, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: I’m truly confused with WhatsApp. I’ll write a blogpost about it when I eventually feel confident enough about how it works to do so !!! 🤣🤣🤣
[18:00, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: I definitely do not have a sim on the Android tablet.  The WA app is the official one.
Shedding a bit more light, it was originally set up on the Android phone, which has a number.  Not understanding the technicalities, I assumed at that stage that I could just add the app to my tablet also, which I did over a year ago, and then use both.  I discovered that it did not operate on both devices together and so deleted the phone one and kept the tablet which has worked without any problems.
Does this explain things, have I inadvertently discovered that you can set up on the phone with a number yet operate on another device?
My original query was to try to get the same WA on both, but as no one seems to know if or how I think I will leave well alone and carry on.  “Keep calm and carry on”.  Many thanks for all the input.
[18:22, 30/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: If you wrote that on your tablet, Margaret, then your tablet has the number +44 7480 925213. What I don’t understand is how it could have a number if it doesn’t have a sim. Anybody?
[18:28, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Yes I only ever use WA on the tablet, the only place it is installed.  While on line now I have also been successfully engaged in a WA chat with my daughter, using same app, same device.  The number is my (only) mobile phone number.  It accesses the phone for which I pay a monthly sum.  I pay nothing for the tablet and never have.
I think I will keep things running as they are rather than investigate too closely and lose things!
[18:30, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Fascinating! Android is obviously one step ahead of Apple because there isn’t an app for iPad, only iPhone, so it’s not possible to do what you seem to have done.
[18:34, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: My husband is sitting here.  I am reminded that he uses WA on his tablet too.  He hasnt even got as far as a smart phone!
[18:37, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Margaret has inadvertevly but effectively followed the procedure I outlined at one of our sessions last year, When I explained how to What’s App an Android tablet that does not have a SIM, but using another spare android phone number.
[18:38, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Ah! Yes! It’s coming back to me. However I’ve just done a quick search @Paul de Geus and there categorically is not an official WhatsApp app for Android tablets – at least that’s what I’ve read 🥴
[18:43, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: You just download WhatsApp from Playstore on the android tablet and follow instructions, but use an existing android phone number not already linked to What’s App.I think we wrote it up on Thoughtgrazing
[19:22, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Yes you did @Paul de Geus – I’m confused of course, again (not being an Android person), the article above (Nov. 2019) states that there isn’t an official WhatsApp app – can you comment on that?
[19:25, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: They did not expect you to find the workaround for a non SIM device,that can use the official WhatsApp app.
[19:28, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: When you load and use the app,it expects you to provide a phone number for the device it is on…..but, it does not realise that you may have supplied a phone number not physically connected to that device.
[19:29, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Hence the workaround works.
[19:56, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Sounds about right.  I would have downloaded from Play Store, provided the number but then found, as I now realise, that it was not possible to have 2 copies of the app operational on the same number.  As I said, I uninstalled the one on the phone to keep the tablet up and running.  I assumed I had overlooked something and was hoping that one of you knowledgable folks maybe could help in sorting it on 2 devices.  I now understand the system and reasons why I cant do this, so sorted.
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All things Google (and more) – 13th February 2020

Boot-up

Visit to Barclays Eagle Labs – now arranged for the next meeting – 27th February. Here’s some more detail about what they’re all about.

As part of Barclay’s community commitment,  we have also opened a new office in Cardiff designed to help businesses grow and start up in Cardiff. Great for budding Entrepreneurs (which statistics show can be high in the over 50s)  and inventors. Part of the Eagle Lab office hosts  a “Maker Space’ that houses laser cutting, vinyl printing, 3D printing, electronics equipment including soldering etc. It has a distinctly digital feel too with a really switched on Engineer running the lab. I will contact them to discuss what is actually available there and suggest things you might be interested in.

I have  13 confirmed attendees. I’ll contact Ashley Croome (the switched on Engineer) with details of who’s coming and discuss whether we need to split into two groups, or just stay at one. After the Science Group visit he advised me … “For group sizes, with the science group we had about 10-15 per group and that seemed to work really well as it wasn’t so overcrowded that people didn’t get a chance to ask questions, and try things like the VR we have set up here.”
The venue for the visit is:
Barclays Eagle Lab, 1st Floor Brunel House, 2 Fitzalan Road, Cardiff, CF24 0EB

Next meeting after Eagle Labs is on 12th March, then Paul will lead on 26th March and 23 April. I’m assuming there will not be a meeting on 9th April because of Easter. I’ll be back after that … for a while at least 🙂

Whats Up with WhatsApp – an interesting discussion about how you can “trick” an Android tablet into believing it’s a phone (without a SIM) between Margaret, Jim, Paul and myself. I’m not sure I’m completely the wiser, but it revolves around a solution for an Android tablet that Paul had already described (which works for him) and is also described in this post and on an iPad this post describes how to do it. If you want to see the WhatsApp log of the chatter and confusion, look here.
Undo Send function in Gmail (from desktop, not mobile) setup in Gmail Settings > General, selectable from 0 -30 secs, so not as long as I thought.
Clearing Off-Facebook Activity and a video to help you.
The death of Adobe Flash – Apple puts the boot in.
We had a question about Exporting email from Tiscali (TalkTalk) from Ann, who was concerned she might lose her old emails. It looks like the most useful way of doing it is to setup POP3 Forwarding of an Email account into Gmail – in Gmail > Settings (gear wheel) in the browser …

… get the correct settings for your server, as in …

and as long as you’ve selected Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s been downloaded) and as long as your email provider supports POP3, your email should be downloaded from that server and into Gmail.

Gear Guide

Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
Here’s a provocative thought … what applications do you use that depend largely upon the use of a peripheral? Are you using the best application for that hardware? Perhaps you don’t have any choice, but if you do perhaps you should choose the most appropriate application for the hardware.
Jim updated us on his broadband upgrade using his new Router liked to a SIM-card (have I got that right, Jim?). He’s also purchased a dongle to watch live Freeview TV. This is not connected to the broadband, but it might cause his battery to lose power a bit more rapidly than it did before.

Apps Galore

That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
OpenStreetMap – creating maps for collaborators – a couple of examples – Canals and Railways, Land use and Buildings, but what about creating a shared Google Map ?

What’s IT all about?

That occasional slot in the meeting when we might do a bit of explanation of terms used in Computing, or in the use of digital devices.
Mesh Networks – which ones are members using:
Paul – BT solution
Don – Deco M4, with TP-Link AC1200
WiFi Reception – interesting fact … the range of the WiFi Router decreases as the signal frequency increases. However, the inverse also holds true, namely the closer you are to your WiFi router the greater the bandwidth you have as signal frequency increases. Therefore in a big house, maybe you need to employ 2.4Ghz; in a compact house it’s a good choice to use 5Ghz and maybe even employ a router that supports tri-band – which might give the best of both worlds!

The main topic

I use Google apps on my desktop and mobile devices – and I’m an Apple fanboy! However, it’s just come to my notice that a couple of Google developments have passed me by, which have caused me to think about whether I might be better to use more Google apps on my Apple mobile devices, rather than the native Apple apps
I rely on Gmail and Calendar. I have done for years. It’s a family joke – “if it’s not in the Google Calendar – it’s not happening”. I have been caught out  few times. I also use (and will continue to use) Google Maps extensively for mapping, the Apple version is not quite there yet, but it’s improving!
I have used Google Hangouts and Paul and I have tried to get that working – but it’s impractical to even try and demonstrate it at this location 🙁
We have looked at Google Assistant, as a way of interfacing with the virtual world, but I haven’t embraced it – probably because I still rely on the native Apple mobile apps and Siri is the way into these; but, it would have to be said, probably not as well as Google (or Amazon – Alexa).
But now I’ve become aware of Tasks, which you can access from Gmail, and  Calendar and if only it interfaced completely with Google Assistant – I think I’d be making the switch to using more Google apps on my Apple devices, but, and there’s always a but … why does Google makes things so difficult! Just remember there’s Google Keep (for notes) and Google Reminders (for reminders); and … you always have to remember Google have the nasty habit of dropping things just after you’ve got used to using them – Reader, Picasa and Google+ to name but three! Let’s have a look!