WhatsApp is fixing one of the biggest problems stopping it from launching an iPad app

WhatsApp is poised to fix one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of an official iPad app. According to @WABetaInfo, a prolific Twitter account that scours through the latest beta versions of the messaging app to unearth new features still in development by the team in California, WhatsApp is working to let you use your account on multiple devices at the same time.

Until now, WhatsApp has only ever allowed users to be signed in to one device at a time. That’s because your account is tied to your mobile phone number. So, for example, when you upgrade your smartphone and sign into the new device, you will immediately be signed out of your old handset.

This is the reason that WhatsApp is not currently available on iPad or other tablets.

Although there is an application for macOS, this is merely a wrapper for the WhatsApp Web interface, which requires your smartphone to be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as it still uses the device to send and receive text messages. You’ll need to scan a QR code to link your WhatsApp app to the online interface, which is compatible with Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge and a number of other popular web browsers.

According to the code unearthed by @WABetaInfo, you will receive a notification from WhatsApp whenever your account is being used on another device. This will likely act as a security measure to ensure someone isn’t texting from your account on another device without your knowledge.

It’s important to remember that the feature is currently in the development phase. So, the Facebook-owned app, which has seen a surge in popularity following the strict lockdown measures enforced in the UK, United States and a number of European countries, might not launch the feature for a few months.

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