TechSoftwareAppsWhatsApp now works on iPad – but you have to jump through a few hoopsThe world’s most popular messaging app is still inexplicably unavailable for the iPad – but there’s a way to get it anywayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechSoftwareAppsWhatsApp now works on iPad – but you have to jump through a few hoopsThe world’s most popular messaging app is still inexplicably unavailable for the iPad – but there’s a way to get it anywayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The world’s most popular messaging app is still inexplicably unavailable for the iPad – but there’s a way to get it anyway
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Meta)
(Image credit: Meta)
One of the annoying things about WhatsApp is its focus almost exclusively on phones: thedesktop Mac appis a very recent development – it only arrived this August – and there’s still no sign of an official app for theiPad. But a new beta of theiOSapp means you can get a full-screen WhatsApp app instead of running theiPhoneapp in single or double-sized views.
Here’s how to do it.
How to get WhatsApp for iPad
First of all, you’ll need to have TestFlight installed on your iPhone and have access to the WhatsApp For iOS Official Beta Program. If you do, you can then install the beta iOS version of the app through TestFlight on your iPad too. There’s no way around this: if you haven’t signed up for beta access, there’s currently no way to run WhatsApp as an iPad app instead of as an iPhone app.
Once you’ve got the beta installed on both devices, open the WhatsApp beta on your iPhone, sign in and go into WhatsApp Settings > Linked Devices. This will generate a QR code you can then scan on your iPad in order to link it to your WhatsApp account. You’ll need to use the same WhatsApp account on both your iPhone and your iPad.
The reason this beta now works on iPad is because it uses what’s called Companion Mode, which is a way of using more than one device for the same account. Any messages you send or receive on your iPad will be mirrored on your iPhone and vice-versa, and your messages and calls will be protected with the same end-to-end encryption.
If you don’t already have access to the beta programme, don’t worry: if the new feature is now in the beta, it shouldn’t be long before it makes its way into the final release. WhatsApp’s development tends to move very quickly so iPad compatibility should be imminent.
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