WhatsApp Now Available on Apple Watch

[MacRumors]

The official WhatsApp app is now available on the Apple Watch for everyone, following a brief beta testing period via TestFlight last week.

The app allows you to send messages, read full messages, send message reactions, record and send voice messages, receive call notifications, and more — all directly on your Apple Watch, with no need to take out your iPhone.

Meta's announcement highlighted some of the key features:

• Call notifications: You can see who's calling without looking at your iPhone.
• Full messages: You can read full WhatsApp messages on Apple Watch — even long messages are visible directly from your wrist.
• Written messages: You can write out and send messages directly from your watch.
• Voice messages: You can record and send voice messages.
• Reactions: You can send quick emoji reactions to messages you receive.
• A great media experience: You'll see clearer images and stickers on your Apple Watch.
• Chat history: You can see more of your chat history on screen when reading messages.

WhatsApp is available on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer running watchOS 10 or later.

A connected iPhone with the WhatsApp app installed is required, and you will need to update the app to the latest version that was released today.

Article Link: WhatsApp Now Available on Apple Watch

 

[The Game 161]

finally!!

can't believe we have instagram app for ipad and whatsapp for apple watch

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Great for WhatsApp users, yet they took away Messenger...sigh...and they are deprecating Messenger on desktop! Boo!

Seriously, though, awesome!

 

[tomtad]

Doesn’t appear to be live in the UK

 

[JCCL]

Wow this is a surprise. Whatsapp iPad app was in beta for years if I recall correctly, was not expecting to see this one until a year from now following the recent news.

 

[The Game 161]

Doesn’t appear to be live in the UK

yeah just checked now on there yet

 

[robvalentine]

It has been on Android wear long enough.

 

[Capeto]

I hate Meta but am stuck with WhatsApp so this is a welcome development.

 

[sigmasirrus]

Hmm so it needs a connected app on the phone. So if you had a cellular Apple Watch, could you leave your phone behind and use WhatsApp or no?

 

[joelovesapple]

I guess you could say... it's about time!! (because it's on the watch) 😂

 

[podycust]

Wow meta did something quickly with WhatsApp?

 

[GoofyCyborg]

Now available in the UK.

 

[iSepp]

Unfortunately it needs an active connection to the iPhone. Disappointing.

 

[alexandr]

Hmm so it needs a connected app on the phone. So if you had a cellular Apple Watch, could you leave your phone behind and use WhatsApp or no?

It looks like a no. I just disabled wifi and bt on my iPhone and the watch app started to 'spin' and wouldn't stop until I reenabled wifi & bt.

 

[akidokraja]

So, you still can’t answer calls (and talk through) on AW but you can on Garmin Fenix 8? If true that’s insane.

 

[orbital~debris]

Yet another place not to install this siphon.

 

[dombera]

Live in the UK, looks nice!

 

[johnhackworth]

Unfortunately it needs an active connection to the iPhone. Disappointing.

Especially since I can already receive and reply to WhatsApp messages when my phone is at home and I'm out and about with just my watch. This update doesn't make that experience any better at all.

 

[ATmahe]

This is like showing us a big middle finger …

 

[Enrico77]

I’d been waiting for this app for so long — it was supposed to be the freedom to finally go out without my phone. But it turned out to be completely useless and pointless, because it only works if your iPhone is connected. I tested it: left the phone at home, tried to connect via my Apple Watch (4G), and it just doesn’t work.

So what’s the point, really? I mean, if it’s just to quickly read a message notification, that already worked before. Starting a chat when you’re literally holding your phone in your pocket makes no sense — the phone is a thousand times more comfortable for that.

It would have been useful for chatting when you don’t have your phone with you. But it doesn’t work. And it’s not the only one — basically all the “companion” chat apps on the Watch are not truly independent.

The only one that works autonomously is Apple’s native Messages app. So if you go out without your iPhone and want to message someone who doesn’t own one… good luck.

Has anyone tested whether RCS messages are supported on the Apple Watch yet?

 

[alayal]

I’d been waiting for this app for so long — it was supposed to be the freedom to finally go out without my phone. But it turned out to be completely useless and pointless, because it only works if your iPhone is connected. I tested it: left the phone at home, tried to connect via my Apple Watch (4G), and it just doesn’t work.

So what’s the point, really? I mean, if it’s just to quickly read a message notification, that already worked before. Starting a chat when you’re literally holding your phone in your pocket makes no sense — the phone is a thousand times more comfortable for that.

It would have been useful for chatting when you don’t have your phone with you. But it doesn’t work. And it’s not the only one — basically all the “companion” chat apps on the Watch are not truly independent.

The only one that works autonomously is Apple’s native Messages app. So if you go out without your iPhone and want to message someone who doesn’t own one… good luck.

Has anyone tested whether RCS messages are supported on the Apple Watch yet?

Rcs does work on AW

 

[johannnn]

Unfortunately it needs an active connection to the iPhone. Disappointing.

Wait whaaat? So I can’t go outside with just my watch and use this? Like wtf?

 

[matzoek]

It wasn’t even mentioned in the update notes (at least in Germany).

 

[The_Interloper]

No complication for AW faces either. Rubbish!

 

[andyapple123]

Whatsapp crashes at startup with Apple Watch Serie 4 watchOS 10.6.1.

How to fix?