As I reported recently, WhatsApp has got a lot of great new functionality over the past six months, and looks set for more great features, too, with emojis reportedly coming to the messaging app shortly.
And, talking of the WhatsApp application, another really exciting piece of news that has just dropped this week is that the app is reportedly coming to Apple iPad models and Android tablets.
The news comes courtesy of WABetaInfo, who stated earlier this week that not only is the WhatsApp development team working on multi-device 2.0 functionality, but also that when the new functionality is ready users will be able to "use the iPad as new linked device" and that "Android tablets are also planned to support multi-device on WhatsApp for Android".
• Is WhatsApp for iPad a web app? No, it's a native app!• Will WhatsApp for iPad work independently? Yes.• Is WhatsApp for iPad already available? No.• WhatsApp beta for iPad? If you have WhatsApp beta for iOS, you will automatically have the iPad version in the future. https://t.co/aQYBBtW7SbAugust 21, 2021
This report also states that when WhatsApp does come to iPad that it is going to do so with a "native app", and that WhatsApp will work independently on tablets, too. This means that the WhatsApp applications on iPad and Android will continue to work even if the user's phone isn't near or connected.
The key takeaway here, therefore, is that iPads and Android tablets will be able to be used as "linked devices" to a WhatsApp account for the first time ever, meaning that WhatsApp users will be able to seamlessly transition from phone to tablet and continue messaging their friends, family members and contacts.
And for me this is very enthusing, as I'm a huge tablet user and a huge WhatsApp user. Up till now, though, I've never been able to use WhatsApp on my tablet, only on my computers, which I have set up as linked devices. So the fact that I'll be able to open a native WhatsApp application on my iPad while chilling on the sofa in the evening, and even do so if my phone is upstairs, will be a game-changer for me.
As to when the new native WhatsApp applications are dropping for iPad and Android tablets nothing is yet known, with the report simply stating that it is set to be introduced in a "future update". Here's hoping then that update drops sooner rather than later.
