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Latest WhatsApp Beta Features Native iPad Support
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Finally!!
I don’t use my iPad very often but my mum uses it every single day and it drives her loopy that she has to use her phone to reply to WhatsApp but not for texts/iMessages, and often gets confused about the difference
I don’t use my iPad very often but my mum uses it every single day and it drives her loopy that she has to use her phone to reply to WhatsApp but not for texts/iMessages, and often gets confused about the difference
Zuck has been busy on other projects. Same as Alan Dye and CFed, who wisely have refused to be photographed wearing the headset or represented as an avatar.
I don't know the specifics here, but depending how old of a version we're talking about, it's possible there are root certificates that need to be updated, encryption libraries, etc that only come with new versions. Anything that has to communicate with the outside world has to be on the same page as the devices it's talking to on some level. Especially with Android it might be a mess of supported protocols and such with all the fragmentation. Less excuse with iOS but to a degree the same reasoning applies.
someone pinch me am definitely dreaming... 😴
now just waiting on an app watch app!
now just waiting on an app watch app!
I’ll never not be disappointed that Facebook was allowed to buy WhatsApp. I’m glad regulatory oversight has returned, albeit too late.
Most messengers have the same problem: You need the phone number of the other person in order to send her a message. That is a privacy nightmare, because (1) you do not want to giver everybody your phone number just to chat with him and (2) it allows you to check if a random number exists. That is a paradise for spammers. And of course (3) you need to send your whole contact list to the messenger to see who else has an account. Especially if you live in a repressive country like Iran, you might not want your phone number to be associated with a messenger account. In the past some messengers even had group chats that allowed every member to see the phone numbers of everybody else. A better way is what Threema does. You do not need a phone number for an account there.
Does that logic track when you offer a service?
If I want to use a calculator on my iPad, I can go to the App Store and download any number of third party alternatives.
If I want to use a messaging app on my iPad, I can only use a web wrapper or the website, which lack key features or a different messaging service.
Was waiting for this for so long, just ended up buying an android tablet instead where this has always been possible.
Great Shame it doesn't support Apple Watch, there are more Apple Watches than iPads I suspect
WhatsApp for iPad finally appears to be nearing a release. In the latest version of WhatsApp Beta for TestFlight, Meta has introduced an option to use WhatsApp on an iPad independently of an iPhone, thanks to an update to its Link a Device feature.
WhatsApp currently allows users of the encrypted messaging platform to link up to four devices to their account even when their main smartphone is not connected to the internet. Each linked device connects to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted. The feature also supports Macs, but not iPads – until now.
As spotted by code researcher WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has started testing a facility to use iPads as a linked device in the latest beta. The new companion mode also means that any messages sent or received on iPad are synced to the account's primary phone, regardless of whether it is an iPhone or an Android device.
In order to test the companion mode, WhatsApp previously released a native iPad app built with Catalyst so that users could start testing the feature and the app. A beta version compatible with iPad can now be installed via the TestFlight app by all testers with the iOS beta app.
WhatsApp parent company Meta has made Facebook available on iPad, but WhatsApp and Meta's Instagram app have never had native iPad availability, despite many users asking for the feature. It's not clear exactly when WhatsApp for iPad will be available to the general public, but its inclusion in the beta is a good indicator that it will arrive soon.
Screenshot from WhatsApp for iPad (Image credit: WaBetaInfo)
Article Link: Latest WhatsApp Beta Features Native iPad Support
Nah that would make sense. Why would anyone want to view photos on a large screen ?
I have the beta app on my second iPhone but don't see how to trigger the QR code screen in the setup flow. It only asks for a phone number to proceed.
Whereas on Android, it has an additional option during setup to "connect to linked device" which allows setting it up in companion mode.
How to trigger companion mode on Whatsapp on iPhone?
