How-To
While there is no WhatsApp app for iPad (yet), we explain a simple way to access and send WhatsApp messages on an iPad.
By Lewis Painter
Senior Staff Writer, Macworld
Macworld UK
WhatsApp is an incredibly popular iPhone app, connecting more than a billion active members around the world every day. It lets you send messages to friends, or groups of friends, over Wi-Fi or 4G/5G and make savings on your phone bill. (Of course, you may end up paying for data if you go over your limit, so don’t go crazy!)
The sad thing is that WhatsApp is only available for iPhone. There isn’t a version of the app for the iPad (or iPod touch).
But don’t despair. In this tutorial, we show you how to use WhatsApp on the iPad using WhatsApp Web. This service connects to the WhatsApp account on your iPhone (or Android device) and forwards the messages on to your iPad, allowing you to send and receive messages, pictures and videos. It’s not quite native WhatsApp on the iPad, but it’s the next best thing.
While right now there is no version of Whatsapp on the iPad, there could be one coming. In August 2021 news emerged that a Whatsapp app for iPad is coming soon with a project to bring the messaging app to iPad (and Android tablets) in development.
Then in January 2022 WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart acknowledged in an interview that people had been asking for an iPad app for a long time. Cathcart revealed that much of the infrastructure to develop an iPad app is already in place, but he made no immediate promises.
Since then reports have emerged suggesting that WhatsApp for iPad will be released with multi-device support. WABetaInfo tweeted in May 2022 that: “Multi-device 2.0 will let people link an additional mobile phone or tablet (WhatsApp for iPad/Android tablet) to the same WhatsApp account in the future.”
Multi-device 2.
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) May 27, 20220 will let people link an additional mobile phone or tablet (WhatsApp for iPad/Android tablet) to the same WhatsApp account in the future. pic.twitter.com/Vmv8QLFFxZ
Perhaps 2022 will be the year that Whatsapp comes to iPad, and for that matter Mac as well! Read our separate tutorial about how to use Whatsapp on a Mac.
Follow these steps to get WhatsApp on an iPad:
Open the iPhone’s Settings, go to WhatsApp Web, and scan the code to pair the two devices.Be aware that there are a few limitations when using this workaround. Most importantly, unlike when the service is used on a Mac or PC, notifications from web browsers aren’t supported on iOS/iPadOS. You won’t be notified of new messages.
Apart from that and a few small bugs, however, the service is pretty easy to use and a great alternative for WhatsApp users keen to access the service on iPad.
WhatsApp Web is a free and easy way to access the WhatsApp service on your iPad. Although you won’t get notifications (as you would when using the service on Mac or PC), it’s a great way to easily access your messages on a tablet.
Moving from Android to iPhone and want to bring your WhatsApp messages with you? Read: How to move WhatsApp messages from Android to iPhone.
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
Despite strong competition from the likes of Telegram and Signal, WhatsApp remains the most popular mobile messaging platform by a mile, connecting over a billion active users around the world every day.
As a smartphone app, WhatsApp messages are principally exchanged between iPhones and Android phones, but WhatsApp is known to be developing an iPad app that would increase the number of active devices on the chat platform.
While the iPad app has yet to to launch, it is already possible to use WhatsApp on an iPad via the web without the iPhone associated with your account having to be connected to the internet.
Keep reading to learn how it works.
Previously, the WhatsApp mobile app was required to authenticate an account used on another device, such as a computer, and it used a QR code to link a user account to a web browser. While that initial link is still required, the connected phone that has the WhatsApp app on it is no longer required once the link has been made, which means you can continue to use WhatsApp on your iPad without needing your smartphone.
The following steps show you how to link your WhatsApp account to your iPad using the service's new Multi-Device support, currently in beta.
whatsapp.com, then scan the QR code that appears using your iPhone.After following these steps your device will be linked to your WhatsApp account, and you'll be able to access WhatsApp on your iPad to send and receive messages and view chat threads, without needing to rely on your phone being connected to the internet.
Bear in mind that it's not currently possible to delete WhatsApp messages or conversation threads from your iPad. It's also worth noting that you won't get new message notifications on your iPad when you're not using the web app. On the plus side, personal calls and messages remain end-to-end encrypted across devices.
If you don't use your iPhone for over 14 days, your iPad will be disconnected. Lastly, given that the feature is still in beta, WhatsApp cautions that the performance and quality of its service may be affected, although happily, users can leave the beta at any time.
Tags: WhatsApp, WhatsApp Web
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WhatsApp is the most widely used instant messaging application on all types of devices. It is not only used on mobile phones, but we can also access it on other devices such as a computer thanks to its browser version. Also, those people who have an iPad want to be able to use the application, although this raises questions, especially if you have a model without a SIM card. If you want to use WhatsApp on iPad without a SIM card , we will tell you how it is possible.
There are many users who have an iPad without a SIM card and want to be able to use WhatsApp on it. There is a way that we can use the famous instant messaging app on Apple tablets and we will tell you how it is possible below. Thus, if you have one of these devices and want to use the application, this will be possible for you.
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WhatsApp is an application that can be downloaded on various types of devices. The application has its own version for Android and iOS which then allow us to use it on mobile phones. iPad users do not yet have a version of this app for their tablets. At least at the time of this writing. Since it has long been known that those responsible for the application and Apple are working on a version for the iPad.
To this day continues without knowing exactly when this version of the iPad application will be released. This is expected to happen in the near future, but we need to wait for an announcement from WhatsApp.
Some beta versions of the app have already shown signs of its existence, so it wouldn't be strange if it appeared sometime this year, but the exact dates remain a mystery for now. This means that this app cannot be downloaded on an iPad like it is on an Android phone or iPhone.
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On the Internet we find unofficial versions of WhatsApp , which can also be downloaded on the iPad without a SIM card. Thanks to them, users will be able to send messages to other people from their tablet, as if it were an official application. On paper, this might be an interesting option as it will allow them to use the app on their iPad, but it comes with its own risks. Since they are unofficial versions, we do not know if they are safe or not, which is already a clear problem in this regard. Also, if we are found to be using an unofficial version, the app may block our account.
We will be able to use WhatsApp on an iPad without a SIM card , but we are not going to install it on these tablets, rather it is a way to use the famous instant messaging application on the tablet .
Until the official version of the application is released, you need to resort to this method on the iPad. This is the method in which we are going to use WhatsApp Web, the browser version of the application.
So we will depend on the browser we have on the iPad. The good news is that the Web is compatible with all browsers on the market today. Whether we use Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox or others, we will be able to access them at any time, so this is not a problem in this respect. Of course, we must already have an existing app account on a device such as an iPhone or an Android phone. Since the use of this version works as an extension of the currently existing account.
WhatsApp Web acts as an extension to the mobile version of WhatsApp. . This version allows us to access our account in the device's browser so that we can see open conversations and also be able to start new ones. In addition, the app's new multi-device support means that this version no longer depends entirely on the mobile version.
Until now, if we wanted to use WhatsApp Web, we had to make sure that the mobile phone had an Internet connection while we were using it, otherwise it was impossible to use it. This is changing in this version.
Fortunately, the app has the new multi-device support that ends this dependency. This means that we only need to link the account once, and then we can access WhatsApp Web whenever we want, including from an iPad without a SIM card. It will be possible to enter this version even if the original phone does not have an Internet connection, it is not even necessary that this phone be with us at that moment. So this version is now somewhat more independent and you can use it better. First of all, we need to link the two versions of the app. Here are the steps we have to follow:
Then go to WhatsApp Web (in newer versions it's called Linked Devices). With these steps, we have already linked two accounts. You can start using WhatsApp on iPad without a SIM card. Thus, by sending messages to your chats, using almost the same functions as in the phone version. From messages, emoticons, GIFs, files and more. So the use will not cause too many problems in this regard.
WhatsApp Web is a version that has been greatly improved over time. . One of its great innovations is that this dependence on mobile devices is ending with new cross-device support for the app, which will allow for a much better experience at any time. Although this gives us many functions, it is not the same as using the native WhatsApp application, since we will have some limitations.
A prime example is that calls and video calls are not supported by on WhatsApp Web. This is one of the main features that this version does not have, which can be a clear issue or limitation for many users. So you can only send text messages in it. The good news is that you can send audio messages, just like in the original app. At the bottom of the window we will see that there is a microphone icon that we can click on to record the audio message we want to send.
Usually, when we are going to use WhatsApp Web, if we want to send audio messages to one of our chats, we are asked to give microphone access to the browser that we use on the iPad so that we can then record this message that we are going to send to our chat. This is not something that will be a problem, but it is good to know that this permission must be granted. Since in this way it will be possible to send audio messages without problems.
We have already been able to use WhatsApp on an iPad without a SIM card.
due to using the web version of the application. If you're going to be using it regularly on your iPad, you might be interested in having direct access to it. This way you won't have to open your browser every time you want to log in to your chats in the app. This is something that can be done very easily on the iPad, so it might be worth it for many.
Once you're signed in to WhatsApp Web, click the Share button in Safari (since most of you probably use that browser on your iPad). When this option is used in a browser, a menu with various options appears on the screen. One of the options in this menu is Add to Home Screen, Exactly what we need in this case. We then select this option to create this shortcut on the iPad screen.
Direct access to WhatsApp Web is then created, which we can then use on our iPad without a SIM card. This is a quick way to have access to the messaging application at any time and thus we can send messages to our contacts.
Until the iPad app itself is released, which we are still waiting for, we can use this method if we want to use the well-known messaging app on the Apple tablet all the time.
I don't know about you, but I've always been very surprised by the fact that WhatsApp doesn't have a separate iPad version . Perhaps it was because of this that I started using Telegram, because I wanted to be able to quickly switch between devices. Then it seemed to me that WhatsApp was somehow deeply tied to the work of GSM, and therefore it could not work on tablets through which it was impossible to make calls. However, over time it became clear what was the real reason for this limitation. Fortunately, the developers have finally found a solution to this problem and are preparing to present it to us.
WhatsApp will have a separate iPad version. Finally
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Soon WhatsApp will officially work on the iPad .
There is no doubt about this, since support for Apple branded tablets has already appeared in the latest beta version of the messenger. According to the developers, they managed to develop a new encryption technique in which they can synchronize between multiple devices, but at the same time remain protected from interception. Previously, this was not possible, and on a WhatsApp computer, could only work if a smartphone was connected to it.
The arrival of a standalone WhatsApp application for iPad is part of a new developer initiative to cross-device use of the messenger. The first step was to drop the mandatory connection of the smartphone to the computer when using the web version. And now, apparently, it's time for the next stage. The developers figured out how to ensure the synchronization of encrypted messages, and now they will appear on all devices connected to the account.
To install WhatsApp on the iPad, you need to allow it to be done from the iPhone
Despite cross-device support, WhatsApp is still not quite the same as Telegram.
To start using it on, say, an iPad, you'll have to create a special link for it, confirming that the second device is linked to the account. Only then will WhatsApp be able to run on the tablet. It turns out that the main thing in this bundle will still remain a smartphone, because all the changes will - albeit very indirectly - pass through it.
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For now, cross-device support is available through a separate beta testing program. This can be seen from the screenshots of users who have joined the trials. The images clearly state that the version of WhatsApp they are using is the version for testing cross-device support. So just download the beta of the messenger and start using it on the iPad, you will not succeed. To do this, you should at least be invited to a separate cohort of testers.
Still worth a try:
You can join the WhatsApp test via TestFlight
Important : at the time of publication, the staff of testers for the current beta version of WhatsApp is already full. So don't be surprised if you're denied on the pre-access join page. This is completely standard practice. Therefore, it is recommended to check from time to time whether there are free places. Perhaps someone will leave the testing program and you will have access to the beta.
Mark Zuckerberg told how WhatsApp will change
It's hard to say when WhatsApp for iPad will be released . Practice shows that developers can test significant innovations for quite a long time. So the tests can drag on for a month, and for two, and even for six months. And, given the scale of cross-device support as such, we can assume that it will appear at best only this fall, or even linger until the end of the year. Therefore, do not expect an update either in August or, most likely, in September.
