'Never send nudes, and keep swearing tame': a WhatsApp survival guide

One false move, and you could be swamped by the conversation from hell. Dos and don'ts for the eight groups you're probably avoiding right now

It's funny how quickly apps have become shorthand for everyday tasks: we now go on "Tinder dates", a takeaway is "a Deliveroo", taxis give way to "getting an Uber". And when it comes to sharing confidences and keeping in touch, we're all WhatsApping. The preposterously named app, which sounds like an unwelcome thumbs-up across the dance floor, has become the preferred method of communication for 1.2 billion of us - leaving emails, texts and (obviously) face-to-face conversation in the dust.

WhatsApp's main plus - and quite a big minus, if you think about it - is that anyone can use it. It's free, and makes chatting in a group really easy - almost too easy, in fact, as you spend half your time being added to random groups and trying desperately to catch up and decipher their in-jokes. Leaving is not an option unless you want to be accused of flouncing. There are unwritten rules waiting to catch you out.