When Microsoft acquired WhatsApp in 2014, among its limited features was sending instant messages via mobile phones.

Today, the application, which has established a subscriber base of over 900 million, is already being considered as one of the best communication apps in the market, according to Boosh.

Aside from instant messaging, WhatsApp now also allows users to make voice calls and can also be accessed through a variety of devices such as tablets and PCs.

But do you know that WhatsApp has a host of hidden features?

Here are some of these cool features, which have been integrated into the apps' platform:

First, you can reduce date usage on calls. Although the app now allows free voice calls, users have complained that this feature uses up a lot of data. Developers have addressed this concern by adding "low data usage" setting that when enabled, reduces the amount of data used during calls.

Second, you can mute group chats and notifications. Receiving notifications during group chats can certainly be annoying. So as not to offend your friends by leaving your chat sessions, a feature allows you to disallow notifications. Just click on the group chat, select the menu option, and choose "Mute" and in the popup menu.

And third, you can hide your last seen status. One of annoying features of WhatsApp is showing the last time you logged into the app. To hide your last see status, go to the Account Settings, select "Privacy>Last Seen" where you will have the choice of enabling the feature. There is a tradeoff, however. If you disable your last seen status, you won't see the last seen status of your friends either.

Meanwhile, WhatsApp has a modified version, too, called the WhatsApp Plus, which offers a lot great features, reported Neuro Gadget.

First, developers have overhauled the apps' old visual effects by introducing

new displays, themes and styles, which can be accessed once the new version is installed. WhatsApp Plus offers up to 700 themes, which can be convenient sorted by name, version, downloads, and date.

Second, WhatsApp Plus boasts of a wider array of emoticons which include some of the smileys from Google hangouts. Users, however, need to have WhatsApp plus installed on their smartphones in order to see these emoticons. As an added feature, users can now choose the shade of emoticons they want to use.

And third, WhatsApp Plus offers users the ability to edit options when sharing their files. The file size limit can be changed from 2 to 50 MB, while providing additional options for keeping the size and quality of the videos or the photos when they were originally taken.

In light of the legality issues concerning the development of WhatsApp Plus, users are hoping that these can be resolved soon so they can continue enjoying the app's newly-improved features.