WhatsApp multi-device could eventually support multiple mobile devices: Details here
After many years of waiting, WhatsApp's multi-device support finally made its way to users earlier this year. The feature allows users to link one WhatsApp account to one primary smartphone and up to four additional devices. Now, a report from WhatsApp feature tracking website WABetaInfo suggests a currently-in-development multi-device 2.0 feature would allow one WhatsApp account to be linked to a secondary smartphone, too.
WhatsApp multi-device allows all linked devices to access WhatsApp independently
WhatsApp introduced multi-device support on the stable channel for users around the world earlier this month. The feature replaces WhatsApp Web. It differs from WhatsApp Web in that multi-device support allows all devices sharing an account to communicate with WhatsApp independently. But WhatsApp Web required the primary phone to remain connected to the internet for the linked devices to communicate with WhatsApp servers.
'WABetaInfo' shares screenshot showing smartphone connecting like linked device
One of the biggest drawbacks of the current implementation of WhatsApp's multi-device support is that it does not allow you to share a WhatsApp account on two smartphones. WABetaInfo recently shared a smartphone screenshot of a buffering screen that reads: "Downloading Recent Messages." This is the same screen that present-day linked devices display when you open WhatsApp on them.
Multi-device 2.0 expected to be available on Android, iOS
This indicates that someone somewhere at WhatsApp is cooking up a way for an upcoming version of multi-device to support two (or maybe more) smartphones or mobile devices. The multi-device 2.0 feature, as WABetaInfo likes to call it, is expected to be available on both Android and iOS, although a release date for the feature is not known at the moment.
Screenshot shared was from an iOS device
It is important to note that WhatsApp has not yet said anything about multi-device 2.0 supporting more mobile devices, and until it does, we cannot say for sure that the feature would see the light of day. The screenshot of the in-development feature was captured on an iOS device but an Android version is speculated to be in the pipeline as well.
