Users have only been able to utilize one phone per account since WhatsApp's inception, but this is now changing.
According to the chat platform, users can now access their WhatsApp account on up to four more phones, for a total of five devices.
By scanning QR codes with their primary phone, WhatsApp users can connect these four additional "companion" devices.
Up to four PCs or tablets can already be linked to a single WhatsApp account, but up until today, no extra phones have been supported.
The 'much demanded' function will be useful for people who use a personal phone and a professional phone but still want all of their discussions to be under a single WhatsApp account. However, some people have warned that untrusting couples may attempt to access their partner's account.
According to WhatsApp, the upgrade has begun rolling out to users worldwide and will be accessible to everyone in the upcoming weeks.
How to use WhatsApp on multiple smartphones
- On your "companion" phone, download the WhatsApp app. Select a language, then press to continue.
- To link to an existing account, tap the three dots next to "Link to existing account" rather than inputting the phone number of this extra device.
- After that, a QR code will appear, which you must scan with your main phone.
- On your primary phone, tap Settings, then Linked Devices, and finally Link a Device to accomplish this.
- This will open the QR code scanning option. You can use the same WhatsApp account on both devices after scanning the code.
Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, which owns WhatsApp, announced the update on his Facebook page on Tuesday.
WhatsApp responded to these worries by stating that users could verify any additional devices linked to their account and remotely shut them out from their phone.
The goal of WhatsApp, which debuted in 2009, was to enable internet-based text messaging.
A WhatsApp account has traditionally been tightly associated with a certain phone number because of this, though more recently it has also been able to link a number of non-phone devices to an account.
