WhatsApp beta brings Companion mode, Android tablet support


WhatsApp Voice Notes

It was revealed earlier this year that WhatsApp is working on Companion Mode to connect a second mobile device, and now the company is rolling out the companion mode on Android to some beta testers. Last week, WhatsApp rolled out communities, in-chat polls, and 32-person video calling.

WhatsApp companion mode

As this screenshot indicates, it’s easy to find out if you can really link your existing WhatsApp account to a second phone by now: just look at the options on the registration screen to see if there’s a “Link device” option. If you see this option, you could indeed finally use WhatsApp on another phone!

Your conversation history will sync across your connected devices once you attach your WhatsApp account to a new smartphone. Since this is a beta version, it’s possible that some functionality, such as the ability to check live locations and manage broadcast lists and stickers, is still not accessible.

Users could connect up to four devices to their WhatsApp account, allowing them to attach more than two phones. Regardless of whether you’re using WhatsApp from a linked phone, your personal messages or calls are end-to-end encrypted. Whenever anyone sends you a message, it is indeed sent to all your devices; therefore, encryption is always maintained.

WhatsApp for Android Tablets

Some beta testers now have access to a presentation screen for WhatsApp on Android tablets through the 2.22.24.18 upgrade for WhatsApp beta on Android.

The new presentation page appears within the linked devices section after selecting the option “linked devices beta,” as shown in this screenshot. Because this feature is labelled “beta,” some users may still not be able to do things like check live locations or manage broadcast lists.

Availability

As far as the availability of the “Companion mode” and “WhatsApp on Android Tablet” features, there are rolling out with WhatsApp beta for Android 2.22.24.18, and it is likely going to take quite some time before common users can get access to them.

Source 1, 2