ITPro Express

4 Ways to Read WhatsApp Messages Without Opening the App

Many people use WhatsApp regularly even during their busy schedules. However, due to heavy workload or lack of time, it’s not always possible to check every message instantly. As a result, important information may be missed, and sometimes problems can arise. Fortunately, there are a few easy ways to read messages without opening the app.

When a new message arrives on a smartphone, part of it appears in the notification panel. So you can easily read the main portion of the message by pulling down the notification bar without opening the app. In many cases, WhatsApp message previews also appear on the lock screen. To enable this, go to your phone’s settings, open the notifications menu, select WhatsApp, and activate the “Show Preview” option.

Android users can also add a WhatsApp widget to their home screen. This allows them to see recent messages without entering the app, which is very helpful during busy moments.

Additionally, smart watch users can read WhatsApp messages directly on their watch screen. This eliminates the need to pick up the phone for urgent messages. However, the smartwatch must already be connected to the WhatsApp account.

How to Replace a Graph Line with Custom Images in Excel!

In this example, I’ll show you how to turn a normal Excel graph into a creative visual that fills up as your progress increases.

1. Create Your Progress Data:
Start by setting up your data — for example, your “To-Do List” with tasks and a completion percentage.
Each time you check off an item, your percentage value will update automatically.

2. Insert a Chart
Go to Insert → Charts → Column or Bar Chart (a simple bar or column chart works best).
This chart will represent your progress level.

3. Replace the Chart Fill with Your Custom Image
a) Click on the data series (the colored bar).
b) Right-click and choose Format Data Series.
c) Under Fill, select Picture or Texture Fill.
d) Click Insert Picture From → File, then choose your filled glass image.
e) Make sure to uncheck “Stack” and “Scale with” options if they distort your image.

4. Overlay the Empty Glass Image
a) Insert your empty glass photo separately on top of the chart area.
b) Resize and align it with the filled glass so that it looks like the water level is changing inside the same glass.

5. Add the Water Level Label
a) Click on your data value and choose Add Data Label.
b) Format it to show the percentage (e.g., “60%”).
c) Position it over or near the water level.

6. Link the Chart to Your To-Do List
a) Link your chart’s value cell to the percentage that updates when you mark tasks complete.
b) Now, when your “To-Do List” updates, the filled glass rises automatically, and the label updates to show the new percentage.

✅ Result:
When you check tasks off your To-Do List, the percentage changes and your glass visually “fills up” with water. This replaces the traditional graph line with a much more engaging visual effect.

WhatsApp to enhance user safety, specifically for chat backups.

New Feature: Passkey Encryption for Chat Backups
WhatsApp has introduced a new passkey encryption feature for iOS and Android users to make chat backups safer and easier to secure.

Simplified Security: Instead of needing to remember a complex password or a long 64-digit encryption key, users can now protect their chat backups using their smartphone's biometric authentication methods like Fingerprint ID, Face ID, or Screen Lock.

End-to-End Encryption: This builds on the end-to-end encryption for chat backups launched in 2021, but eliminates the hassle of key management.

Enhanced Privacy: Once activated, the backed-up data including chat history, photos, videos, and voice notes will only be accessible through the user's biometric verification. Crucially, WhatsApp, Google Drive, and iCloud will not be able to view this data.

Activation: Users can enable this new setting by going to the app's 'Chats' menu, then 'Chat Backup,' and selecting the option to enable 'End-to-End Encrypted Backup' with a passkey.

Availability: This new security feature is expected to be rolled out globally to all users within the next few weeks.