WhatsApp is among the most popular mobile phone messengers used by millions of people across the globe.
This IM is available for all users of the Android and iOS devices and it can be downloaded from Google Play Store or Apple Play Store. Furthermore, users of other mobile operating systems like BlackBerry, Symbian and Nokia can also download and install this app on their devices.
As much as WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app across the globe, it is not a free app. Users of this app must pay a fee after using it for a period of one year. However, as you’ll soon find out, this is not applicable to every user of this application.
WhatsApp is not the only instant messenger in the market today, there are many other players in this field and quite a number of them offer even many advanced services than WhatsApp; they are entirely free to download and use for a lifetime, without any charges, yet they have less popularity when compared to what WhatsApp has.
The reality is that many people like the sound of ‘free’ but in the case of WhatsApp, it’s very different. Maybe it can be assumed that a large percentage of the millions of users of WhatsApp are still on their first year of subscription. If it’s so, then you’ll need to know a few tricks so that when the time comes, you can make use of them and get free WhatsApp on your Android device for a lifetime.
Change your Mobile Phone Number
During the WhatsApp registration process, users are usually asked to provide their phone number. WhatsApp stores this number as your identity for the whole period you’re subscribed to the app. What this means is that if in any case you wish to extend your usage of this app past the first free one year trial period, you cannot do so using this already recognized number.
In order to extend the subscription period of your app to last a lifetime, start the app and go to “Settings” and from there, select the “Account” option and then “Change Number”. After pressing the “Next” button at the upper right of your screen, you’ll immediately see two boxes; one with the current WhatsApp number and a second box where you should enter your new number.
Press “Continue” after you are done entering the new number and it will be automatically added to WhatsApp database as your new number. In this way, you will have an extended period of using WhatsApp for another year. You can repeat this process yearly and WhatsApp will never incriminate you for it.
One funny and rather weird thing is that WhatsApp for iOS is free and can be downloaded from iTunes and used for a lifetime without charge. So, you can still have WhatsApp on your Android device, but you’ll need to complete the registration process using an iOS device, preferably an iPhone.
You can buy an iPhone or borrow one from a friend or relative. If borrowing, make sure your friend makes a backup of their WhatsApp conversations and then uninstall their already installed WhatsApp. You don’t have to take this route if you bought a new iPhone. In addition, make sure you delete your existing account with WhatsApp before you begin this process.
Download the free app from iTunes App Store and follow through the registration process as usual. Your number will now have a free WhatsApp registration that will last a lifetime. To confirm the status of your account, go to Settings > Account > Payment Information; this is of course after switching back to your Android device.
When a WhatsApp account is deleted, it is removed from the app’s database and as such it’s deregistered. You can do this and re-register your phone number and you’ll have another year of using WhatsApp. To do this, go to Settings>Account>Delete Account.
The flipside of using this method is that all your conversations will be deleted, thus; you should backup your data before you delete an account and once you are done, you can restore it.
Let WhatsApp Expire
Once the one year free usage ends, wait for at least five days for the app to recognize that your number is dormant. WhatsApp will grant you an extended period of a few months as you ponder over how to extend the usage of the app.
During this time, you can try any of the above mentioned tricks or instead, you can still opt for another app that is available for free; for instance, Line, WeChat or Viber and still keep in touch with friends.
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