WhatsApp has started rolling out the much-awaited multi-device support for all users. With the latest functionality, both Android and iOS users can use their WhatsApp accounts on different devices simultaneously to send and receive messages on the app, even when their phones don’t have active Internet access. The feature has been in beta for quite some time. You can use up to four linked devices and one phone at a time. However, it should be noted that the linked devices will get disconnected if the phone remains inactive for 14 days.
WhatsApp has updated its FAQ page with details about the multiple-device support feature. WhatsApp will now allow users to connect their instant messaging account to up to four devices, including laptops or PCs. Users are not required to keep their phones connected to the Internet to access this functionality. However, WhatsApp will disconnect you from the paired devices if you don’t use your phone for more than 14 days. WhatsApp confirms that it enables end-to-end encryption on the chats that take place using connected devices. So neither WhatsApp nor a third party can read the messages you send or receive on your connected PCs or laptops.
How to link your WhatsApp account to a secondary device
To use the multi-device feature, users are required to update their WhatsApp to the latest version. Once done, you can follow these steps to use WhatsApp on multiple devices:
- Open Whatsapp on your Android smartphone and tap on the three-dot menu. Select Linked devices. WhatsApp iOS users can select Linked devices by tapping the Settings icon.
- Select Link a device.
- Unlock your phone with biometric authentication or enter the pin.
- Open web.whatsapp.com or WhatsApp Desktop app on your PC or laptop.
- Scan the QR code through your smartphone.
Once linked, WhatsApp can be simultaneously accessed on different devices to send and receive messages. It should be noted that a few features are not supported on linked devices.
According to WhatsApp, viewing live location is not possible on paired devices. Creating and viewing broadcast lists or sending messages with link previews from WhatsApp Web cannot be performed on the secondary devices. Besides, iPhone users cannot delete or clear a chat on linked devices. Calling or messaging a user with an older version of WhatsApp also won’t be supported on the linked device.
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Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More
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