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Since the early days of WhatsApp, users could only use one phone per account, but this is finally changing.
The chat platform has announced that users can now get their WhatsApp account on up to four additional phones, or five in total.
WhatsApp users can link four additional “companion” smartphones by scanning QR codes with their primary phone.
Users have already been able to connect up to four PCs or tablets to one WhatsApp account, but no additional phones so far.
The ‘requested’ feature caters to those who have a phone for work and a phone for personal use, but still want all their chats under one WhatsApp account – although some said mistrustful couples will try to log into the account of their partner.
WhatsApp said it is improving its ‘multi-device offering’ by introducing the ability to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones
The update has been rolled out to users worldwide and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks, according to WhatsApp.
Mark Zuckerberg, the head of Meta, owner of WhatsApp, announced the update on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
“Starting today, you can log into the same WhatsApp account on up to four phones,” he said.
In response, one user joked “that’s going to be a problem for jealous couples,” while another commented, “I’m trying to log into my friend’s account, will he know?”
In response to such concerns, WhatsApp said users will be able to monitor all other devices connected to their account and log them out remotely from their phones.
WhatsApp, first released in 2009, is designed to send the equivalent of text messages, but over the internet.
For this reason, a WhatsApp account has always been closely linked to an individual telephone number, although it has recently become possible to link multiple non-telephone devices to an account.
In 2021, WhatsApp began allowing users to link up to four additional non-phone devices such as PCs and tablets to their account, independent of a telephone.
This means that a user can, for example, run their phone, two tablets and two PCs all with the same WhatsApp account.
This feature was rolled out globally in 2022, but now WhatsApp is going a step further by introducing the ability to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple phones as well.
While the number of devices has not increased (one primary phone with up to four associated devices), additional phones can now be added to the mix as well.
WhatsApp has said that each paired device will connect to WhatsApp independently, so personal messages, media and calls will all be synced.
If the ‘primary’ smartphone – defined as the one that originally hosted your WhatsApp account – is inactive for an extended period of time, you will be automatically logged out of all ‘companion’ phones.
WhatsApp (owned by Meta) has announced one of the biggest changes in the chat app’s 14-year history
Regardless of what device a WhatsApp account runs on, all chats will still be end-to-end encrypted, WhatsApp employees emphasize.
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two participants in a chat can read messages, and no one in between – not even the company that owns the service.
WhatsApp, which was bought by Facebook in 2014 for about $19 billion, says every private message sent through WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default.
It acts as ‘an unbreakable digital lock’ that keeps message content safe and visible to no one but the sender and recipient.
However, WhatsApp could potentially be banned in the UK due to its use of end-to-end encryption, which some believe will make it more difficult for security authorities and other organisations, such as child protection charities, to detect criminal activity.
The UK government is currently considering new legislation that could force WhatsApp and other chat platforms to break end-to-end encryption, as part of the Online Safety Bill.
Messaging services that use it, including WhatsApp, Signal, Viber, and Element, have a open letter oppose the online safety bill ahead of its final reading in the House of Lords, which is yet to come.
“The UK government urgently needs to reconsider and revise the bill to encourage businesses to provide more privacy and security to its citizens, not less,” said Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp at Meta, along with six other signatories in the letter.
It follows news that WhatsApp developers are working on bringing animated emojis to the platform, according to independent experts WABetaInfo.
A GIF of the new emoji in action shows the “Face with Party Horn and Party Hat” emoji spinning while blowing a party horn.
One of WhatsApp’s main rivals, Telegram, already has animated emojis, leading to accusations from some users on Twitter that WhatsApp is “stealing” the idea.