WhatsApp is known to have been working on multi-device support for many months now. What it means is that you will be able to log into and use WhatsApp on multiple devices at once and you don’t need to have the phone connected to the Internet at all times. This feature seems to be near completion as hints of a public preview for beta testers have been spotted in the app’s source code.
As spotted by reliable WhatsApp tipster WABetaInfo, the Facebook-owned company has started updating the linked devices section. The new UI is partially rolling out for some users. It currently supports the existing WhatsApp Web functionality. But, over the coming weeks, we can expect WhatsApp to start testing multi-device support in beta with users.
When the feature becomes available, you will see a new ‘WhatsApp Web Beta’ tag under the WhatsApp Web section on mobile. The images below further confirm that the web app will then work independently. It ‘no longer requires that you keep your phone connected’ to the Internet.
The tipster further reveals that multi-device support will work with up to four devices simultaneously. This means you will be able to log into your WhatsApp account on the desktop, web app, and another device at the same time. You can send messages even when your primary device does not have an Internet connection. Your message history will automatically sync across all of your linked devices.
The multi-device preview is also said to have a ton of features missing in action. The messaging giant will not let you archive, mute or delete chats from a companion device during the beta test. You also cannot delete individual messages and place calls using the desktop app. Yeah, if you didn’t know, WhatsApp is testing audio and video calling via the desktop app right now.
There is currently no timeline for the rollout of multi-device support on WhatsApp. It has been one of the most requested features among the community. Telegram, a fierce rival to WhatsApp, has offered the option to log into your account on multiple devices at once for a long time.
