WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature that allows users to use WhatsApp on multiple devices without needing their phone to be connected to the internet. This new capability removes a significant limitation of WhatsApp which required a phone connection for using WhatsApp Web or Desktop. With this new feature, up to 4 additional non-phone devices can use WhatsApp even if the registered phone is not connected to the internet.
How does WhatsApp multi-device support work?
Previously, WhatsApp worked by mirroring the contents of a user’s phone to their connected devices like WhatsApp Web or Desktop. This meant the phone had to be connected to the internet for the mirroring to work. With multi-device capability, WhatsApp now supports true multi-device connectivity where each device has an independent connection to WhatsApp’s servers. The new architecture removes the need for a phone to act as the point of contact.
When multi-device is enabled for an account, each device gets assigned encryption keys for securely communicating with WhatsApp’s servers. Thanks to these keys, messages and calls can be routed to all linked devices without needing the phone online. The keys are securely stored only on the device they were assigned to, and not on WhatsApp’s servers.
How to enable WhatsApp multi-device
To start using WhatsApp on multiple devices, users need to link devices to their WhatsApp account using the following steps:
- Open WhatsApp on your primary smartphone
- Go to Settings > Linked Devices
- Tap on “Multi-device beta” then tap “Join beta”
- Tap “Link a device” and scan the QR code with your secondary device
- The secondary device is now linked. Repeat to link up to 3 additional devices.
Once enabled, the phone no longer needs an active internet connection for messaging to work on linked devices. However, some functions like calling still require the phone to be online.
Advantages of multi-device support
Here are some of the key advantages of using WhatsApp across multiple devices:
- Use any device – Freely message on your preferred device – phone, tablet, computer – whatever is convenient!
- Stay connected on more devices – Link up to 4 companion devices to stay connected irrespective of phone availability
- No phone required – Chat without phone connectivity after linking devices
- Messages sync seamlessly – Messages stay in sync across linked devices without manual syncing
Limitations of multi-device
While quite useful, the multi-device feature does come with some limitations at launch:
- Only 1 secondary phone can link to an account currently
- Some features require the primary phone to be online:
- Calls need the phone for now
- Live location sharing requires the phone
- If primary phone is offline >14 days, linked devices will be logged out
- Multi-device disabled if WhatsApp is deleted from primary phone
These limitations may be removed by WhatsApp over time as the feature matures.
Security with multi-device
WhatsApp assures users that all messages and calls remain end-to-end encrypted across the multiple devices. The per-device encryption keys ensure private keys never leave a user’s devices. WhatsApp cannot read messages or listen to calls under the multi-device architecture just like before. Users can also verify all linked devices within Settings and revoke device access anytime.
Conclusion
The addition of true multi-device capability removes a big hurdle for many WhatsApp users in juggling devices. It brings WhatsApp up to par with other messaging apps like Telegram or Signal that already support multiple devices. Users who often switch between phone and computer for messaging will find this especially useful.
While some workarounds like WhatsApp Web exist to access WhatsApp across devices, they remain dependent on the phone. With native multi-device support, WhatsApp usage is no longer limited to a single smartphone and can extend to tablets, secondary phones, PCs, and more.
This opens up many new ways for over 2 billion WhatsApp users globally to stay connected with their networks. WhatsApp continues to refine multi-device and plans to remove present limitations over time. For now, it presents a big step forward in enabling true messaging from anywhere using the device of choice.
| Device Type | Max Devices Supported |
|---|---|
| Companion Devices (Tablet, PC) | 4 |
| Secondary Phones | 1 |
The above table summarizes key device limits under the new multi-device implementation:
- Up to 4 total companion devices like Tablets or PCs can link
- Only 1 secondary phone can be linked currently in addition to the primary phone
- WhatsApp can be accessed on the primary phone + 1 secondary phone + 4 other devices simultaneously without the primary phone needing to be online after linking
How WhatsApp delivers messages across devices
WhatsApp uses a decentralized approach to deliver messages across multiple devices. When a user sends a message, it is encrypted by the sending device using encryption keys assigned to the recipient’s devices.
The encrypted message is uploaded to WhatsApp’s servers. The servers queue and relay the encrypted message to the recipient’s active linked devices without having access to read the messages. Each recipient device decrypts the message using its assigned key and displays the message locally.
This architecture ensures seamless messaging across devices without compromising security. The message contents and call data remain inaccessible to WhatsApp itself. Only the user’s own devices can decrypt and consume the relayed messages thanks to end-to-end encryption.
Key Highlights
- Messages encrypted on sender’s device using keys of recipient’s devices
- Encrypted messages relayed through WhatsApp servers to recipient devices
- Messages decrypted only on recipient’s devices
- WhatsApp itself cannot access message contents
Top Uses of WhatsApp on Multiple Devices
Here are some of the top use cases enabled by WhatsApp’s new multi-device support:
Messaging from PC
The most popular use case will be messaging conveniently from a PC browser or desktop app. Users no longer need their phone connected to message from their computer.
Messaging from Tablet
Tablets can also be linked to facilitate bigger screen messaging and media consumption on a secondary device.
Coordinating Business Communication
Businesses can equip sales teams with secondary business phones linked to WhatsApp for seamless communication.
Streamlined Customer Outreach
Customer support teams can engage customers efficiently over WhatsApp across multiple devices like desktops and tablets.
How businesses can benefit from multi-device messaging
WhatsApp’s multi-device support offers several benefits for businesses leveraging WhatsApp for communication:
- Allow customer service teams to message from computers and tablets for easier response coordination
- Equip sales teams with secondary WhatsApp enabled business phones for on-the-go communication
- Reduce dependency on employee phones being online to drive 24×7 conversational engagement
- Streamline business workflows by integrating WhatsApp across employee devices
- Support seamless messaging on devices preferred by employees for optimal productivity
The multi-device architecture provides more flexibility for businesses to deploy WhatsApp strategically across key devices used by their teams. Customer engagement and internal collaboration can both benefit from harnessing WhatsApp’s ubiquitous reach across phones, computers, tablets, and the web.
WhatsApp’s future plans for multi-device messaging
While launching in beta, WhatsApp has hinted at several areas of improvements down the road:
- Support more companion devices beyond the current 4 device limit
- Allow multiple phones to link to an account
- Remove need for primary phone for all functions including calls
- Improve reliability and speed of message synchronization across devices
WhatsApp also plans to roll out multi-device to all users soon after getting feedback from the beta program. Overall, the company seems committed to making constant progress on the multi-device front to bring it on par with native apps over time.
Key Takeaways
- Multi-device support removes the mandatory phone requirement
- Encryption keys assign devices identity to receive messages independently
- Seamless messaging across up to 4 companion devices and 1 phone currently
- Limitations exist currently but improvements coming
- Opens up many new use cases for over 2 billion users globally
In conclusion, WhatsApp has taken a major step forward with true native multi-device support after years of being limited to single device messaging. It brings WhatsApp up to speed with other messaging platforms and offers users more flexibility. There is room for improvement as highlighted by current limitations but the foundation is now set for enabling WhatsApp messaging from anywhere. Businesses also get more options for streamlining team communication and customer outreach across devices. Overall, multi-device support underscores WhatsApp’s focus on enabling seamless messaging across all major platforms.