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Multi-device support finally arrives on WhatsApp

Multi-device support finally arrives on WhatsApp
Monique Casingal

Monique Casingal

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At long last, WhatsApp is finally rolling out a stable multi-device support to all users. This was previously only available as a beta feature you could opt-in and out of. The update, which includes some improvements, will be coming to iOS within the end of this month and to Android in April.

WhatsApp is always eager to expand its reach and functionality—whether through a more secure WhatsApp Web version or through a new direction for WhatsApp Business in India. While it has different versions and platforms, the option to sync and share data between any app version you own is still quite handy so WhatsApp is constantly trying to improve its multi-device feature.

WhatsApp’s multi-device beta allowed users to link up to four desktop devices and one phone—whether their app version is WhatsApp Desktop or WhatsApp Web on a computer or laptop. If you joined the beta through the Linked Devices settings, it lets you use WhatsApp on your devices without having to keep your phone online. However, if your phone remains inactive after 14 days, the linked devices will get disconnected.

Regardless, this is a useful feature as users aren’t always on their PCs or phones when they want to use WhatsApp. Now, after the update, it will be applied to all users—although you still have to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices through your phone. Some features are still missing, though, like being able to view live locations on linked devices and deleting chats on linked devices if your primary phone was an iPhone.

Fortunately, these will eventually be added as future updates after this stable version. Additionally, they’re also planning on allowing users to link a secondary mobile device, too. That will make things easier for users who own more than one phone. In case you need your data transferred between operating systems, though, here’s a tutorial on how to transfer WhatsApp from Android to iOS.

Image credit: WABetaInfo

Monique Casingal

Monique Casingal

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