One of the most frustrating things WhatsApp users had to deal with was ensuring their phone was always connected to the internet when they wanted to use the desktop version of the messaging app, either on macOS or Windows.
WhatsApp has both a web version and application that can be downloaded for the two platforms above, but they still have to connect straight to your main device and depend on it to be online to function correctly. Over the past few weeks, WhatsApp has been working on an update that will bring true multi-device support to its platform for the first time.
The update that has been available to a few people in open beta for testing will allow WhatsApp users to send and receive messages on their second device without their primary smartphone being online. With the update, you will now be able to link up to 4 devices to your WhatsApp account.
WhatsApp beta 2.21.23.10 is the first WhatsApp update that forces users into multi-device. However, there are still limitations on who can join the multi-device beta as we await its official release.
If you are one of the select few that get accepted into the beta program, the app will log out your existing devices from WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop once the update is installed on your phone, then ask you to link them again using the new multi-device mode, which will let you use WhatsApp on any computer regardless of whether your main phone is actually online or not.
On the downside, however, once you opt-in into the service, there is no option to exit the multi-device beta anymore. The button for leaving the beta disappears, even if you have the stable version of WhatsApp installed on your phone.
Once you have linked a secondary device to your smartphone, you will be able to send and receive messages on the secondary device for up to 14 days after the main smartphone goes offline. This 14-day period greatly becomes useful in situations where you have lost your smartphone temporarily, and you still need to stay in touch with friends or business contacts through WhatsApp or if your phone runs out of battery, but you are near a linked computer.
The implementation currently works seamlessly on Android, but there is a limitation on iOS where you are not allowed to delete messages or conversations from a linked device.
Another frustrating limitation is that you still cannot link a tablet or secondary smartphone. This is probably because both smartphones and tablets can be used to create new accounts, which will make tracking both the primary and another secondary account in a single smartphone or tablet challenging, while also possibly creating privacy issues that can be taken advantage of by malicious people.
Multi-device support for WhatsApp has been long overdue, and it is apparent that Facebook takes their sweet time before introducing functionalities that already exist in other messaging platforms like Telegram and Signal.
Here is the link to the WhatsApp beta download if you are curious about trying out the feature.
