WhatsApp will soon allow users to access their accounts from more than one phone. In an expansion of the multi-device functionality the company began testing in 2021, you can now sync one account across up to four phones.
Once you have access to the feature, you’ll see a new “link to existing account” option when installing the app on a smartphone. After tapping the button, WhatsApp will prompt you to scan a QR code on your primary phone, a step that involves navigating over to the “Linked Devices” section of the Settings menu on your main phone and tapping “Link a Device.”
If that sounds a bit complicated, WhatsApp also plans to roll out “a more accessible” method for linking companion devices that will allow you to use the platform’s web client to send a one-time code to the phone you want to add to your account. WhatsApp says it will bring this new, easier linking method to other devices in the future.
With the new syncing system, your “primary” device doesn’t need to be nearby or turned on for you to receive messages and calls on a secondary phone. However, WhatsApp will automatically log you out of your other devices if your primary phone is inactive for more than 14 days. You can also manually log out of any companion devices from your main phone. “Each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted,” the company notes. The new multi-device feature will roll out to all WhatsApp users over the coming weeks.
