We all rely on messenger apps daily, but many of us only scratch the surface of their capabilities. While it might seem like we know everything these apps can do, and tend to use the same set of tools, there’s significant untapped potential to enhance their efficiency by exploring beyond our usual routines. Developing new habits with technology can take time, but the payoff in productivity is well worth the effort.
Leveraging Large-Scale Group Calls
Many organizations pay for separate video conferencing services without realizing that their everyday messenger apps might do the job just as well. Several messengers now support video calls with dozens, if not thousands, of participants. It’s key to pick a messenger that aligns with your needs and get familiar with its array of call-related features. Features to look for include the maximum number of participants per call, as well as options for sharing presentations or moderating discussions. Often, it’s as simple as setting up a group chat for your video conference and hitting a call.
Vage Zakaryan, Head of Development at the Gem Space superapp, notes, “Calls are among the most popular features in our app, and they’re completely free, which our users love. To make it easier for our users to conduct group calls and video conferences, we’ve enabled links to invite even non-registered users. Now, users don’t need to worry whether the other party has the app; they can just send a link and connect immediately. Having many tools at your disposal can be liberating, encouraging users to explore more features than they initially thought they had.”
Streamlining Community Management
Community management tools are underused yet highly effective for organizing both communication and information. These tools are ideal for creating segmented groups such as work departments, and they can be used to send targeted messages efficiently across an organization. This functionality isn’t just limited to work; it’s applicable to educational settings, business operations, and more.
In popular apps like WhatsApp, this feature is called “Communities”; in Gem Space, it appears as “Spaces”; and in Telegram, these are organized into “chat folders.”
Olivia Martinez, an owner of ByteBound Creations, a web development studio, shares, “We’ve long embraced community features in messengers for streamlining our communications. As remote work becomes more common, the need for clear, coordinated communication remains crucial. We’ve tackled this challenge by creating dedicated chats for different departments and purposes, which avoids overloading everyone with complex software or task managers. It’s now hard to imagine managing our operations without these community features.”
Exploiting Unlimited File Storage
Communication apps can also double as limitless file storage solutions. For instance, WhatsApp allows you to send files up to 2 GB without a subscription, but many apps offer unlimited cloud storage, transforming how we save and share digital content.
By embracing just a few of these features, you’ll quickly discover how much more valuable your communication apps can become—and many of these benefits are completely free.
