WhatsApp finally allows multi-phone support
Announced today, WhatsApp users are now able to use their accounts on up to four different devices.
WhatsApp has shared a new blog post, saying that users will now have a chance to use up to four phones with the same account. For years, WhatsApp users were only allowed to use one phone linked to their accounts, but it has finally changed.
Mark Zuckerberg gave the news on his official Facebook account. "Starting today, you can log into the same WhatsApp account on up to four phones," said the Meta CEO.
Whenever a user wanted to use their WhatsApp account on a new phone, the application automatically disconnected the previous one and didn't allow people to use more than one active device, excluding WhatsApp Web. Users can mirror their conversations on tablets or computers thanks to WhatsApp Web, but the phone limitation was still set to only one phone per account.
- See Also: How to use WhatsApp Web on your iPad?
"Linking phones as companion devices makes messaging easier. Now you can switch between phones without signing out and pick up your chats where you left off. Or if you’re a small business owner, additional employees are now able to respond to customers directly from their phones under the same WhatsApp Business account," said the company.
Multi-phone support was highly requested
It was surely one of the most requested features by users. Thanks to the latest update, they are now able to use up to four additional devices with the same account. Each phone will connect to WhatsApp independently, and if the primary device is inactive for a long period, WhatsApp will automatically log out from the other devices. However, the exact amount of time wasn't disclosed as WhatsApp only said "long period."
WhatsApp has started rolling out the feature globally for its users, and it is expected to be available for everyone in a couple of weeks.
The blog post also added that users will have a more accessible way to link to companion devices. Instead of scanning a QR code, users may now enter their phone numbers on WhatsApp Web to receive a one-time code that they can use on their phone to enable device connection. WhatsApp is also looking to introduce this feature to more companion devices in the future.
Advertisement
This would’ve never been a problem but for their idiotic decision to use the mobile number as an identifier because apparently remembering a username and password is too hard. Not to mention thanks to their starting the trend, now almost every damn online service now insists on your mobile number when signing up.
In current year, having a universal instant messaging solution for mobile phones with a username (hence preserving your privacy, you don’t have to give out your number) the way AOL/ICQ/Yahoo/MSN messengers used to work 20 years ago – is rocket science.