GO! Exec Library

Important: All applications described in this guide are the property of and are operated and maintained by their respective owners, developers, or operators. Iridium does not endorse, certify, sponsor any of these applications, or exercise any control over their performance. Iridium assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement, or guarantee in relation to the performance, security, accessibility, accuracy, or any other aspect of any third-party products, applications or services accessed or operated through Iridium’s devices or services. Iridium does not control the process or timing by which developers update their third-party applications. The applications’ performance may change at any time depending on the upgrades made or applied by their developers.

Note: Prior to adjusting your app settings, please read:

• Iridium GO! exec Best Practices for Android Users
• Iridium GO! exec Best Practices for iOS Users

Overview:

The popular third-party WhatsApp application available on the Google Play Store and iTunes store is designed to be used on high-speed internet connection. However, when using this app over the Iridium satellite network with the Iridium GO! exec product at speeds of 22/88kbps, additional setting adjustments are recommended to provide the optimal experience.

Note: The best practices below are based on the following tests:

• All Android testing was performed on a Samsung Galaxy S21 on Android OS version 13.
• All iOS testing was performed on the iPhone X with iOS 16.7.7.

By implementing specific settings, users can enhance their WhatsApp experience while using Iridium GO! exec.

How to Optimize WhatsApp User Experience for Android:

Note: Mozilla’s Firefox Focus browser is used as an example. The testing was performed with a Galaxy S21 on Android 13 OS. All available WhatsApp profiles were used after establishing a connection through the Iridium GO! exec. All three WhatsApp profiles resulted in similar performance while using WhatsApp on Android.

WhatsApp Messaging App

WhatsApp, developed by Meta, can be installed on Samsung Galaxy devices and on other Android devices through the Google Play Store. It enables users to send messages with end-to-end encryption over IP.

Adjusting WhatsApp Settings

• Open WhatsApp.
• Click on the 3 stacked dots on the far right to open the drop down menu.
• Click Settings to view app settings as shown below:

• Once the settings are opened, click Chats to open more settings.
• Toggle Media Visibility to off.
• Toggle Show Meta AI button to off.
• Toggle Keep chats archived to off.
• Then, click the back arrow next to Chats to go back into the previous screen of settings.

• Click Storage and Data to enter further settings.
• Click on When using mobile data and choose no media.
• Click on When connected on Wi-Fi and choose no media.
• Click on When roaming and choose no media.

How to Optimize WhatsApp User Experience for iOS:

Meta’s WhatsApp is also available for iOS. Testing was done on an iPhone X on iOS version 16.7.7. All three WhatsApp profiles resulted in similar performance while using WhatsApp on iOS.

WhatsApp Messaging App on iOS

While the application is the same, the layout and available settings are slightly different on iOS devices. First, enable all iOS settings on the device listed in the best practices section prior to opening the application.

• Open the WhatsApp application.

• Click on the gear icon located on the bottom right to open settings.

• Click on Chats.

• Toggle Save to Photos to off.
• Click on Chat Backup to open Chat backup menu.
• Click on Auto Backup and select off.
  • Toggle Include Videos to off.
  • Toggle End-to-end encryption Backup to off.
  • Click on the left arrow at the top to return to the Chat settings menu.
• Toggle Keep Chats Archived to off.
• Click on the left arrow at the top left to return to previous settings menu.

• Click on Storage and Data to enter Settings menu.

• Click Photos and set to off.
• Click Audio and set to off.
• Click Video and set to off.
• Click Documents and set to off.
• Click on the left arrow at the top left to return to settings menu.
• Click on Privacy to enter Privacy settings menu.

• Click on Advanced to enter advanced privacy settings menu.
• Toggle Disable link previews to off.

Due to Apple’s stricter development environment and general operating system differences, the settings available for users on iOS devices will differ from the ones available to Android users both at the device and the app level. Enabling all the settings listed above will ensure optimal user experience while using WhatsApp on the Iridium GO! exec across Android and iOS.

Enabling the settings above will ensure media such as pictures, videos, and files are not automatically downloaded, preventing slowdown while connected to the satellite network. Preventing backups or archiving will also prevent slowdown and bottlenecking while using the app on the satellite network. Always give several moments for the application to adjust when switching networks and texts will be sent within 20 seconds.

Best Practices for Android:

• Turn on Airplane mode.
• Go to Wi-Fi settings, select Wi-Fi name, and select Treat as Metered.
• Go to your phone settings -> Turn on Battery saver option to limit background data usage.
• Strongly recommend syncing emails on smart device on high-speed internet prior to using the Iridium GO! exec to prevent significant slowdown and data consumption while on the satellite network.

Best Practices iOS:

For iOS devices, most settings should be adjusted in the main settings of the device. Begin by clicking on the Settings icon from the device home screen.

• Click on General -> Software update -> Automatic Updates -> Toggle everything off.

• Click on General -> Background App Refresh -> Toggle off.

• From the device home screen -> Settings
• Toggle on Airplane mode on the left.
• Click Wi-Fi on the left column -> Toggle on -> Click on the little i icon next to the Wi-Fi logo.

• Toggle Private Wi-Fi address to off.
• Toggle Limit IP Address tracking to off.
• Scroll on the left settings column -> click on Privacy and Security.
• Click Tracking.

• Toggle Iridium GO! exec to on.