WhatsApp users are no longer forced to use their accounts on just one phone, as the same account is available on multiple devices at the same time.
Mark Zuckerberg, president of WhatsApp's owner Meta, announced that starting Tuesday, users can log in to their WhatsApp account from 4 additional phones to the main phone.
How to turn on WhatsApp on more than one phone
WhatsApp users can now connect 4 additional smartphones by scanning QR codes using their primary phones, previously users could already connect up to 4 computers or tablets to one WhatsApp account, but now they can log in via phones as well.
This long-awaited feature will suit those who have a phone for work and another for personal use, but prefer to have all their conversations under one WhatsApp account.
WhatsApp users can now link 4 additional smartphones by scanning QR codes (Anatolia)
When will it reach users?
WhatsApp said it has started rolling out the update to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks. To avoid hacking private accounts, WhatsApp said users can check any other devices connected to their accounts and log them out remotely from their phones.
WhatsApp, first released in 2009, textes online, which is why a WhatsApp account has always been closely linked to an individual phone number, although it has recently been possible to unlock it on many non-phone devices.
In 2021, WhatsApp began allowing users to connect up to 4 additional non-phone devices — such as computers and tablets — to their accounts independently of the phone, meaning that the user was able to operate their phone, two tablets, and two computers all with an individual WhatsApp account.
The feature was rolled out globally by 2022, but WhatsApp is now taking it a step further by offering the ability to use a single WhatsApp account on multiple phones as well.
Security in the new WhatsApp feature
WhatsApp said that each device will connect to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that all personal messages, media and calls are synced, and if the "primary" smartphone - defined as the phone that your WhatsApp account was held on - is inactive for a long time, you will be automatically logged out of all "companion" phones.
WhatsApp employees confirmed that, regardless of the device that operates the WhatsApp account, all chats will remain fully encrypted and read only by both parties.