In this post, you’ll find some reasons why you should use Whatsapp in Spain and how to use it.
If you are going to live in Spain for a year or even for a few months, you should be familiar with this app.
What WhatsApp is and Why we use WhatsApp in Spain
Whatsapp is a text message app similar to FB messenger.
Why don’t Spanish people use texts like in the US? That’s a good question. A few years ago we had to pay to send texts and all of a sudden Whatsapp came out giving Spanish people the possibility to text for free.
Anyway, we love WhatsApp in Spain and it’s all we use.
People in Spain prefer to send a text or a voice message on Whatsapp over making a phone call. Personally, I don’t like that way of interacting, but it might work in your favor if you are not confident with your Spanish yet. You’ll have some time to think about what to write and how to write it in Spanish.
When to get started
It’s a good idea to have WhatsApp ready as soon as you get to Spain. Whenever you start making friends and interacting with people, they’ll start asking for your WhatsApp number. Your number will be the same as your Spanish phone number.
If you are on the apartment hunt, WhatsApp will be the fastest way to contact landlords.
How to get started – Using WhatsApp in Spain
You can download WhatsApp prior to coming to Spain. I would recommend trying with your US number first so you can learn the basics. Once you are in Spain log in with your Spanish number.
Whatsapp is easy to use. You can text your contacts or create groups with your friends to share pictures, videos, voice messages, etc.
In addition, if your family and friends use WhatsApp back home, you can make international calls for free as long as you are connected to the internet.
Spanish people use Whatsapp groups mindlessly. Sometimes, after an hour off my phone, I find out that I have over 100 messages, 50 pictures, and 4 voice-messages. This can be time consuming and overwhelming.
Next, I’ll teach you how to configure the app so it doesn’t work against you.
How to configure WhatsApp
As I said before, sometimes Spaniards go crazy on WhatsApp sending too many things.
Here are some things you can do so your phone isn’t beeping every 3 seconds.
Mute a group for a few hours
- Swipe left over the group or contact you want to mute
- Click on More
- Select how long you want to mute the group or contact
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Extreme – Turn off all group notifications
- Go to Settings and click on Notifications
- Disable – Show Notifications
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Disable auto-download
As I said earlier, Spaniards send a whole lot of pictures and videos through this app. So If I were you, I would disable the auto-download to make sure you don’t run out of data.
- Go to Settings and click on Data and Storage Usage
- Select WI-FI or Never, so you can decide when to download them
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Use WhatsApp on your laptop
If you are using your laptop, WhatsApp has a cool feature. You can access the app from the internet browser, or on the WhatsApp app if you are using MAC. Just go to WhatsApp Web, scan the QR code and that’s it. Now you can text your friends or check messages from your laptop.
I use this when I have to charge my phone and I am going to be working on my laptop.
- Go to Settings and click on WhatsApp Web/Desktop
- Scan the QR Code
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Did you already know how much we use WhatsApp in Spain? Let me know in the comments about your experience using the app.
