San Francisco: Meta-owned WhatsApp is likely working on a feature that would let users chat with the same account on multiple phones, or on a phone and a tablet.
A screen found in a beta version of the app by the site WABetaInfo gives instructions for registering the device you are using as a “companion” by scanning a code with your main phone, though currently there does not appear to be an actual code to scan, reports The Verge.
Meanwhile, a screen found in a previous beta showed that devices could be getting the ability to sync recent messages, even though they are end-to-end encrypted.
That screen, combined with the “Register Device as Companion” screen that instructs users on how to use WhatsApp on another device, adds up to compelling evidence that this feature is in the works, the report said.
Both screens have been found in the Android version of the app, which implies that the feature will support chatting on a secondary phone or tablet.
At the moment it is unclear if the feature will also be available on iOS if and when it launches, though there is precedent indicating it will.
WhatsApp technically supports using your account on multiple devices already, via the Linked Devices feature, which currently only supports using computers as secondary devices.