WhatsApp users are no longer limited to using the app on just one phone.
According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, WhatsApp users can now log in and use the app on up to four phones.
WhatsApp users have been able to log in and use the app on tablets and desktop computers for years through web browsers (WhatsApp Web) as well as dedicated apps (WhatsApp Desktop) on major desktop OS platforms (Windows, macOS…). The tablet app has been limited to just Android tablets.
Phone users will be able to add their extra phones the same way they have been logging on to WhatsApp on the desktop and on tablets: by using the Linked Devices menu on the primary device then scanning a QR code and waiting for chats to sync. This means that the primary phone remains as the primary device and the linked devices history is lost when one logs out or uninstalls the app on the primary device and will have to redo the setup.
WhatsApp’s implementation is basically the mirror system it has used from the start and is not like Telegram’s where apps on various devices operate separately. One can continue chatting on Telegram on their desktop computer (where desktop here includes laptops as well), for instance, even when they lose access to their phone or log out or uninstall the app on their phone.
Unlike in the past when the device whose contents are being mirrored needed to stay on and be online for the mirroring to work, with the Linked Devices feature, WhatsApp doesn’t require the primary device to be turned on and connected to the internet in order to continue working on secondary devices. However, the service will stop working and the secondary devices kicked out if the primary device doesn’t get online within a 14-day period. Additionally, any secondary linked devices will be deactivated and require re-authentication if they are not used within a 30-day period.
Up to a year’s chat history is accessible on secondary devices.
It doesn’t matter if a primary device is an iPhone and secondary devices are Android or vice-versa, as long as one is within the four device limit, they will be able to log in and use WhatsApp on their phone.
