WhatsApp Multi-Device Support Gets Public Beta Availability

Choose up to four companion devices

By
Allison Murray
Allison Matyus
Allison Murray
Tech News Reporter
  • Southern Illinois University
Allison reports on all things tech. She's a news junky that keeps her eye on the latest trends. Allison is a writer working out of Chicago, IL, with her only coworker: her cat Norbert.
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Published on November 8, 2021 11:11AM EST
Fact checked by
Jerri Ledford
Jerri Ledford
Fact checked by Jerri Ledford
  • Western Kentucky University
  • Gulf Coast Community College
Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others.
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WhatsApp’s multi-device support is now in public beta so that you can use whatever device you want without your phone connected to it. 

According to a recently updated FAQ page, the new opt-in program allows for up to four companion devices at one time. The multi-device beta is available to use with the latest version of the WhatsApp app on both Android and iPhone devices. 

Using multiple devices

Getty Images/Tetra Images

WhatsApp detailed that you still can only have one phone connected to your WhatsApp account at a time and that you'll need to manually link your new devices with your phone using the proper WhatsApp account. 

The company also mentioned that the multi-device feature doesn't support tablets at this time, so you can't use WhatsApp on your iPad. However, WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart previously confirmed to WABetaInfo that WhatsApp on iPad would happen eventually. 

It's also important to note that if you don't use your phone for over 14 days, your linked devices will disconnect from WhatsApp, but in reality, that shouldn't really be an issue since most people use their phones every day. 

In addition, certain WhatsApp features won't work with the multi-device public beta, including viewing live location on companion devices, clearing or deleting chats on companion devices if your primary device is an iPhone, sending messages with link previews from WhatsApp Web, and more. 

It's unclear when the multi-device feature would move out of public beta to become available to all WhatsApp users, but it's safe to say an official update could roll out in the coming months. 

WhatsApp has been releasing updates to its users left and right this year, including Android Auto support, the ability to share better-quality photos and videos, additional privacy customization controls, and more.

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