WhatsApp's iPad app is waiting for a new multi-device compatibility feature

WhatsApp message thread on iPhone X (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

What you need to know

If you're waiting for an iPad WhatsApp app, you're going to be waiting a bit longer.
WhatsApp is reportedly waiting to get a new feature off the ground before the iPad app happens.
That feature will include proper multi-device compatibility for the first time.

Those who own iPads and use WhatsApp might have to wait a little bit longer before they can enjoy their messaging app on their bigger screens, it seems. According to a new report, it won't happen until there's a new feature to support it – proper multi-device support.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp does still intend to get a new iPad app out of the door but it can't release it until a new multi-device feature is ready to go. See, it all comes down to the fact that an iPad app would, today at least, need to be connected to an iPhone for it to work at all.

WhatsApp is working on the possibility to use the same account on different devices. Actually they are testing the feature in order to work with 4 devices at the same time.When the user wants to use WhatsApp on a second device, there is the need to copy the chat history. In this case WhatsApp always requires a Wi-Fi connection, because it may use a large amount of your data planWhen WhatsApp has safely copied the chat history to the second device, it will be finally possible to use your account from it. Note that any message will be delivered to all your family devices, so your chat history will be always synced across platforms.WhatsApp has also developed an iPad app, that will be released after the activation of the feature, so you will be able to use WhatsApp on your iPhone and your iPad at the same time.

There's no telling when this will all happen or how long our great international WhatsApp nightmare will continue. It's good to see that WhatsApp continues to work on what is its most glaring problem, though. Not being able to use WhatsApp on multiple devices, not least an iPad, is madness in 2020.

After all, Facebook Messenger manages it. Maybe the WhatsApp folks should have a quiet word with them.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.