For years, one of the biggest bugbears we’ve had with WhatsApp is that you could only use it on one phone at a time. Yes, you could use WhatsApp on additional devices, like your Mac or PC by using WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop, but you couldn’t use it on two phones at the same time. Instead, you’d have to log out of one phone before you could sign into another, requiring you to back up all your chats. It was a lot of effort and quite frankly, a huge pain.
Finally though, that’s no longer the case and we couldn’t be happier about it. Rather than just being able to link up to four non-phone devices to your WhatsApp account, it is now possible to link another phone as one of those additional devices, just like you would link with WhatsApp on web browsers, tablets and desktops.
If you want to know how this wonderful WhatsApp wizardry works, we’re here to help.
Here is how to enable WhatsApp on multiple devices and get your chats working across two iPhones, an Android and an iPhone device or two Android phones.
How to get WhatsApp on multiple phones
Follow these steps to get WhatsApp working on another phone, alongside your main phone so you can have your WhatsApp chats running between two phones.
- Download WhatsApp on your new phone (or the second phone you want to use it on)
- Approve notifications and any other permissions it requests
- On the screen where it asks for your number, tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Tap “Link a Device” to generate a QR code
- Open WhatsApp on your primary phone
- Tap Settings in the bottom right corner
- Tap on Linked Devices
- Tap on “Link a Device” and use the camera to scan the QR code on your new device
- That’s it!
Your WhatsApp chats will then sync across all both phones – we’re using it and it works – allowing you to send and receive messages simultaneously and respond or send from either phone.
This multiple device feature is of course a revelation for WhatsApp users, but there are several other tips and tricks that WhatsApp can do and has been able to do for years that are also worth checking out to get the most out of the messaging app. And the best thing? These tips and tricks will now work across both your phones!
We’ve got a secret WhatsApp tips and tricks feature you can read to get the rundown of all the best WhatsApp features we’ve found and how to enable them. Our favourites include sharing our location with a contact, searching all our chats to find specific information like an address, and quickly reviewing and deleting items to help clear storage, though there are plenty of others we like too. For example, did you know you could hide your profile picture from specific contacts, customise wallpaper for specific chats and even lock WhatsApp with Face ID if you’re an iPhone user? Trust us, there is plenty to learn.