WhatsApp hasn’t changed much lately. Other than voice calls, there haven’t been any new features to help users, especially when it comes to productivity. But no longer. They’ve just added an easy way to share PDFs.
It’s a step in the right direction. Right now you can only share PDF files but hopefully, as the time goes, we’ll be able to share different kinds of documents. The feature is available in WhatsApp version 2.12.16 (iTunes link) and higher.
You can share documents in two ways. From the app itself, or from a third party app that allows sharing for a PDF file.
1. From the WhatsApp Conversation
When you’re in a conversation view, tap the “Attach” icon in the bottom-left and select “Share Document.”
This will bring in iOS 9’s built-in Document Picker. This will by default show iCloud Drive. But you can tap the “More” button to add other services, like Dropbox. Also, a document management app like Documents 5 (iTunes link – Free) is also supported.
Tap the source where the document is stored. In this example, let’s go with iCloud Drive. Then navigate to the file in question and simply tap it.
WhatsApp will now ask you if you really want to share the file in the conversation. Authenticate and the file upload will start. The app will show a preview of the file in the conversation.
2. From Any Other App
When you’re in a third-party app like Dropbox or Documents, you can use iOS’s “Share” option after selecting the PDF file to get the process started.
If you already have WhatsApp enabled as a sharing option, it will show up in the top row. If it’s enabled, swipe to the end of the first row, select “More”, and enable WhatsApp.
Tap the “WhatsApp” icon and a popup will show up with your WhatsApp contacts. Select the conversation to send it to, authenticate and then the sharing process will begin.
Sharing For All
This sharing feature is not only limited to iPhone. It will also work between iPhone to Android, Android to Android and Android to iPhone. On Android, sharing a PDF file via WhatsApp is as easy as using Android’s built-in sharing feature and selecting “WhatsApp”.
WhatsApp Tips and Tricks
What are your favorite WhatsApp tips and tricks? Do you have the “Last Seen” feature turned off? Do you back up conversations to iCloud? Share with us in the comments below.
Download: iTunes link – Free
