Users of the green app can now use Whatsapp on 4 devices, thanks to the latest feature which was introduced on Tuesday.
WhatsApp is a popular instant messaging app that allows users to send and receive messages, photos, videos, and documents for free over the internet. It is available on various platforms, including Android, iOS, and desktop, and has over two billion users worldwide.
WhatsApp’s importance lies in its ability to connect people in real-time, regardless of their location, making it a powerful tool for communication and collaboration. It has become a vital part of our daily lives, from personal conversations to business communications, making it an indispensable tool for many.
Common with tech giants, WhatsApp has undergone many improvements since its launch in 2009.
Notable improvements include:
- End-to-end encryption: WhatsApp implemented end-to-end encryption in 2016, which ensures that only the sender and receiver can read messages, making it more secure.
- Voice and Video calls: WhatsApp introduced voice and video calling features in 2015 and 2016, respectively, which allows users to make free calls to anyone anywhere in the world.
- Group chats: WhatsApp increased the number of participants in group chats from 100 to 256 in 2016, making it easier for large groups to communicate.
- Status feature: In 2017, WhatsApp introduced the Status feature, which allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours, similar to Instagram and Snapchat.
- WhatsApp Business: In 2018, WhatsApp launched a separate app called WhatsApp Business, which allows small and medium-sized businesses to communicate with their customers through the app. WhatsApp Business can be used for several functions.
- Two-factor authentication: WhatsApp added two-factor authentication in 2017, which provides an additional layer of security to users’ accounts.
- WhatsApp Web: WhatsApp launched a web version of its app in 2015, allowing users to access their chats from their desktops or laptops.
- WhatsApp on 4 devices: In April, 2023, the app’s multi-device function was improved as it introduced the ability to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones without having to logout on another device.
These improvements have made WhatsApp a more versatile and secure messaging app, and it continues to evolve with new features and updates.
The latest of the WhatsApp improvement allows users to use Whatsapp on 4 devices at a go, so as to easily switch between phones without signing out while also picking up chats right where it was left off.
This is how to use WhatsApp on 4 devices:
- You should have your WhatsApp account created on a device, with a mobile number.
- Click on the ‘Settings’ Icons, on iPhone devices, it is beside the ‘chats’ icon.
- Click on ‘Linked Devices’, which key is below ‘Starred Messages”.
- A surface is then open which shows: ‘Link Device’, click the blue button to link a device.
- Another surface pops up which initiates the phone’s camera in order to capture the ‘QR code displayed’ on the other device which you intend to sparely open your WhatsApp account. Note: you must have opened the QR code provided by the WhatsApp account of the other devices intended to be connected. If you want to extend access of your WhatsApp account on your Desktop computer or laptop, go to web.whatsapp.com on a your web browser. If you want to extend to a phone, download the WhatsApp app, after which you launch it and open the QR code on it, which you will scan with the primary phone.
- Use the primary WhatsApp phone to Scan the QR code which is displayed on the alternative phone. After this is done, your WhatsApp opens on the alternative phone with your recent messages immediately available. This process can be repeated to login your WhatsApp account on 4 other devices from your primary device.
How many phones in total can Whatsapp be logged in?
This WhatsApp latest multi-device function means that a WhatsApp account can be used on 5 devices – on the primary device and on 4 other devices as deemed, either on desktop or mobile phones.
This function actually breaks a barrier of distance, although not specifically stated by WhatsApp, by allowing a user to grant access to his WhatsApp account on other devices, even where he is not in the same location as the alternative phone.
This can be done if a screenshot of the QR code displayed on the other phone is made available by any means (E-mail, Twitter or Facebook) to the handler of the primary website to scan. If he scans it, the account will be automatically opened on the alternative phone, not minding if the primary handler and the alternative device are continents apart.
About linked devices
Use WhatsApp on Web, Desktop, Android tablets, alternative phones, and other devices by linking them to your primary phone. You can use Whatsapp on 4 devices and the primary one, at a time.
Your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted. Each linked device connects to WhatsApp independently while maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end encryption that people who use WhatsApp have come to expect.
Note:
- Your phone doesn’t need to stay online to use Whatsapp on linked devices, but your linked devices will be logged out if you don’t use your phone for over 14 days.
- You need your primary phone to register your WhatsApp account and link new devices.
Unsupported features
These features aren’t currently supported when use Whatsapp on 4 devices or any of the phones other than the primary whatsapp phone:
- Viewing live location.
- Creating and viewing broadcast lists.
- Adding and deleting status on linked devices.
