For those of us celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year, it’s a time to meet with family and gather around for an annual celebration. It’s also a time for gamb checking on your upcoming fortunes based on your Chinese zodiac animal. WhatsApp, the messaging platform, knows that too, which is why they’ve teamed up with feng shui master Thierry Chow for WhatsApp-themed tips for every one of the 12 zodiac animals.
WhatsApp says that they are working together with Chow, a Hong Kong-based feng shui master and consultant, to create a simple guide for people to enhance their communications, making the most of their chat features to have both an abundant and productive year while still being able to keep with with family and friends. Here are all of their tips for each animal in the Chinese zodiac, from rat to pig.
Rat
Stay connected to friends both old and new with video messages.
Chow says that for those born in the Year of the Rat, you’ll find yourself with a packed social calendar this year. This will provide you with plenty of opportunities to connect with friends both old and new. To stay in touch with everyone then, you can send your loved ones quick video messages, especially considering you won’t be able to be everywhere at once.
Ox
Protect your intimate conversations with chat lock to keep trouble at bay.
After a rather quiet year, those born in the Year of the Ox may find more challenging times ahead. You should consider being more prudent and present to navigate your way through the year; one way to do this would be to better safeguard your most private chats. End-to-end encryption is already a thing, but you can also report and block suspicious messages or add a chat lock for extra security.
Tiger
WhatsApp Channels can help you share your passions with a wider community.
Chow says the upcoming year may turn out fairly exciting for those from the Year of the Tiger, and calls for Tigers to embrace new experiences, pursue your passions and let go of things that no longer serve their purpose. You can start a WhatsApp Channel to share your new passions with others, or even create a Community if you want to start organising with other people. Be mindful of any possible misunderstandings; you can use the edit messages function to correct yourself while stickers can keep the mood lighthearted.
Rabbit
Prioritise ‘me time’ in the new year by muting noisy group chats.
Following a turbulent year, Rabbits will be able to take time this year to revaluate their priorities and enjoy some of the positivity. To ensure you have your own time to do so though, you may opt to mute some of the, um, noisier group chats you find yourself in, or even leave them altogether. You can even send notes to yourself whenever new ideas come to life.
Dragon
Flaunt your dynamic personality using WhatsApp Status.
In the upcoming Year of the Dragon, Dragons will be able to make their personality shine, with new opportunities for personal growth and learning too. To share your positive energy with others, Chow says you can try out WhatsApp Status to share with others photos, videos or even just voice notes to those around you for just 24 hours.
Snake
In the year of change, use polls to seek advice from family and friends.
There will be plenty of changes for those born in the Year of the Snake this year, says Chow. You will do well to maintain an open mind but if and when things get too chaotic, you can always pin important messages and chats to stay on top of things. You’ll also want to make use of your network of friends and family by seeking counsel from them through polls.
Horse
Stay productive on-the-go with video calls and screen sharing.
It will be a busy year of positive shifts and travel opportunities in both your career and your love life. You’ll want to give yourself room to travel more, move around or even just set up a new environment for yourself. And while you’re moving all around, you’ll do well to continue to be productive through WhatsApp’s video calls, especially since you can now share screens too.
Goat
Maintain integrity on group chats with new admin features to nurture close relationships.
Chow says that for those born in the Year of the Goat, you should be putting utmost priority for your health and well being this year. You’ll want to take some time for some self reflection and treat yourself. Silence unknown callers on WhatsApp and block unwanted contacts altogether so that you can protect your personal space and add to your well being. The group chat admin features will let you ensure you can keep group chats a convenient and safe space to interact with those closest to you too.
Monkey
Liven up chats with fun stickers as you celebrate a year of good fortune.
Monkeys will want to embrace good fortune this New Year. There will be plenty of positive changes to experience in your family, career and friendships, and as you experience them you should share some of the joy too with your loved ones via creative stickers and avatars in your chats. You can also share all the good things in life through videos and photos, now in HD.
Rooster
Be spontaneous with voice chats to harness the positive vibes that surround you.
Following a challenging year, those born in the Year of the Rooster will find themselves encountering much more love this year via positive encounters with others. You should harness these vibes spontaneously through voice chats on WhatsApp, allowing you to instantly talk with members of a group chat while still being able to message them too, as well as keep track of who’s participating.
Dog
As you enter a period of fluctuation, secure your chats with additional security features.
For those born in the Year of the Dog, you may find yourself entering into a period of fluctuation and so it is vital that you protect what’s important to you. You can take proactive steps by activating two step verification on WhatsApp and end-to-end encryption of your backup to keep chats safe for instance. It’s not all bad though as you’ll be able to explore new territories and meet new people throughout the new year.
Pig
Revisit work priorities in the new year—WhatsApp Business App can help kickstart an idea.
The new year calls for those born in the Year of the Pig to step outside your comfort zone a little and check in with your work priorities. If you’ve been feeling like you’re going nowhere with your work and life, this is the time to evaluate your choices and take steps that will give you the boost you’ve been looking for. If this means starting your own business, then you can try out the WhatsApp Business App too.
