You can now link one WhatsApp account to four devices including smartphones

WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature that will allow users to link up to four devices to their account. Meta has been testing the feature since 2021, and the feature has now been rolled out for all Android users. But it has some limited use for iOS users.  

It means that you can now access your primary WhatsApp account on four different devices including smartphones. Earlier, you could only link WhatsApp for the web (desktop) once. 

How to link WhatsApp to different devices?

If you are setting up a secondary phone to use your primary WhatsApp account, follow these simple steps- 

• Install WhatsApp on the secondary phone.
• But instead of logging in using your phone number, tap on the "link to existing account" option.
• You will get a QR code that needs to be scanned by the primary WhatsApp phone through the "link a device" option in settings (similar to opening WhatsApp web).

And that's it. You are good to go. 

The original phone in which you have your WhatsApp account logged in is considered the "primary device". If your primary device is inactive for over 14 days, then linked WhatsApp accounts on your other devices will be logged out. 

On the secondary phone, you will have access to your WhatsApp account chat history from up to a year ago. Moreover, you can link your primary WhatsApp account across different operating systems. 

However, there is one issue. If your primary device is an iPhone and the secondary device is also an iPhone, you may not be able to link the WhatsApp account onto your secondary device. But if your primary device is an iPhone and secondary device is an Android, this feature works. 

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What about privacy and security?

WhatsApp says: 

Meta has pitched this new feature as useful to small businesses that may want to communicate with customers using more than one device on a regular basis. But it is also useful for those who carry more than one phone with them. 

WhatsApp is also working to launch another new feature found on its rival platform Telegram. WhatsApp wants to bring something similar to Telegram Channels to its platform. A WhatsApp "Channel" will take the instant messaging platform beyond one-on-one communication and open it up to a broader audience, where users can subscribe to a particular channel. Of course, this will not have the same privacy feature as WhatsApp one-on-one communication system. 

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