WhatsApp seems to be working on a feature that would let users chat with the same account on multiple phones or on a phone and tablet, according to a screen found in a beta version of the app of the site WABetaInfo. The screen provides instructions for registering the device you are using as a “companion” by scanning a code with your headphones – even though at the moment there does not appear to be an actual code to scan.
A screen found in a previous beta showed that devices could be able to sync recent messages even if they are end-to-end encrypted. This screen, combined with the “Register device as companion” screen, which instructs users on how to use WhatsApp on another device, adds compelling evidence that this feature is in the works.
Both screens are found in the Android version of the app, which means that the feature will support chat on a secondary phone or tablet. At the moment, it is unclear whether the feature will also be available on iOS, if and when it launches, although there is a precedent indicating that it will. WhatsApp already supports technical use of your account on multiple devices via the Linked Devices feature, which currently only supports the use of computers as secondary devices. The feature is available on both iOS and Android.
WhatsApp rolled out Linked Devices as a public beta in November 2021 and has improved it since then (though there are still a few unsupported features, depending on what your main device is). But while linked devices are convenient for desktop users, it does not do much for those with secondary smartphones or tablets. Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, did not immediately respond The edge‘s request for further details on its plans to extend the Linked Devices feature to also support mobile devices.