Just a few days ago, what started as an exciting rumor has now been confirmed: WhatsApp was reportedly working on a new multi-platform feature, meaning users will soon be able to access the popular messaging app on multiple devices simultaneously.
Believed to have been first reported by well-known WhatsApp tipster WABetaInfo who said in a statement that it’s “no longer a rumor, it’s confirmed”.
We will be able to use our WhatsApp account across multiple devices.
The WhatsApp tipster added: “It includes WhatsApp for Windows (UWP, when available), so you can use WhatsApp on your PC if your phone has no connection. iPhone/Android and iPadOS included.”
An earlier tweet from the same tipster revealed that WhatsApp is also working on a new desktop client based on the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). As per the report, the new software will allow one to use the messaging service even when their phone’s not connected to the internet. but that’s not immediately clear when the UWP app will be rolled out to users.
Nevertheless, the multi-platform feature already has been confirmed and, will start rolling out sooner rather than later.
Right now your WhatsApp account is linked to your phone number, and in order to sign into WhatsApp on a device, you need to be logged out on all or any other devices.
It has always been unclear why WhatsApp has continued to restrict users from using multiple devices considering that Telegram allows it and still manages to deliver messages securely using end-to-end-encryption on both devices.
Facebook’s other apps, Instagram and Messenger are both able to run on multiple devices simultaneously.
What makes even less sense is when you consider that the company makes an exception to the rule by allowing users to run WhatsApp Web from a browser while still logged in on their phones.
WhatsApp’s web version of its popular messaging app was released back in 2015, but in order to use it, one needs to have their phone connected to the Internet. Users also have to authenticate their accounts on computers by scanning a QR code on the web client through the built-in camera functionality within the WhatsApp application on their phone.
However, that is now seemingly a thing of the past with this new update. Allowing users to make use of the app on multiple devices simultaneously does seem like the next logical step.
There doesn’t seem to be a technical reason why it can’t be done, as more and more users are making use of multiple devices in their daily workflow. It only makes sense for users to be able to access WhatsApp on their Phones, Phablets, Tablets and PCs without having to rely on a browser-based solution.
WhatsApp will certainly make life a lot easier for millions of its users once it incorporates the multi-platform feature into its service.
Apart from the multi-platform feature and the UWP app, WhatsApp is also separately working on several other features such as WhatsApp Payment which possibly could be one of the biggest features of the Facebook-owned messaging platform. This feature will enable users to perform payment transactions within the app.
Another feature getting tested as well is the Quick Edit Media Shortcut, which would allow users to edit media files that have been shared on the messaging app. It can be used to edit media files quickly that are shared on both individual and group chats.
The Facebook-owned app is additionally set to launch a voice message preview feature for iOS according to reports. How will it work; WhatsApp will send push notifications for voice messages along with a preview tool. This means that iPhone users can open the voice message directly from the notification panel. At present, users on iPhones and Android devices need to open the chat to listen to the voice messages.
WhatsApp also recently started rolling out the ‘Frequently Forwarded’ feature in a move to curb down fake news on its platform. The new feature marks messages that are sent multiple times as “forwarded many times.”