WhatsApp Web is a function of the messaging application that allowed us connect to a web page or desktop application from the computer to be able to chat without using the mobile phone. Now, its evolution is WhatsApp Multidevice and its function is exactly the same but it has some improvements and the main difference is that we will not depend on our phone to send messages. WhatsApp now works in web version even if our phone is disconnected, turned off, out of coverage.
One of the main problems with WhatsApp Web is that it was totally depending on the connection on the phone mobile. If we did not have coverage or the Internet was not going well on the smartphone, nor on the computer. It even used to disconnect when the screen was locked, for example. But now this is solved with WhatsApp Multi-device.
What is it?
WhatsApp Multi-device is a tool that allows us to use several devices to view our chats in the messaging application, respond and send all kinds of content. We can talk on WhatsApp from the computer, from another mobile phone or from the browser whenever you want without using our smartphone. How WhatsApp Web? Yes, in the same way that we have used WhatsApp Web until today but with the great news that we will not have to have the phone turned on for it to work.
We do not necessarily have to have the smartphone close or turned on neither with coverage nor with Internet connection. If your phone is charging in Airplane Mode and you are using your computer with WiFi, you will be able to continue receiving messages, responding to chats. Both should not be active, it is enough that the second is active.
Limitations and requirements
Does it allow us to do everything? No. There are limitations and not all features are available in the cross-device beta. It is possible that it will be fixed once it is officially and definitively released but currently calls are not allowed, for example, or see the real-time location on paired devices. We explain it.
The first thing you should know is that you can only have four devices paired simultaneously. That is, you can have the session started in three browsers and in the desktop version or started in the browser on the tablet, the computer, your secondary phone and the laptop. Four maximum devices at the same time that will allow us to see and answer in our chats. Also, you should bear in mind that if you do not use WhatsApp on your phone for more than 14 days, the paired devices will be automatically deleted and we will have to repeat the process to connect them. And, of course, all must be registered and linked to our mobile phone, even if it is off or out of coverage.
But it is not the only thing. From the details of the app we read the unsupported functions:
- You won’t be able to empty or delete chats on paired devices if your primary device is an iPhone.
- You will not be able to send messages or call contacts who use a very outdated version of WhatsApp on their phones.
- You will not be able to send messages or make calls from the Portal to users who have an outdated version on their phone.
- Performance and quality may be affected
- You will not be able to use tablets
- You won’t be able to see real-time location on paired devices
- You won’t be able to create or view broadcast lists on paired devices
How does it work
It is possible that the technical aspects do not matter to you at all and you just want to know that you can connect from the computer to read your chats. But it is interesting that let’s know how this connection works on a technical level and Facebook explained it at the time of its announcement if we are interested in the technical aspects.
How can we keep talking on WhatsApp without an Internet connection on the mobile phone? They are not stored on the servers or in the cloud like Telegram does, but all the messages we receive on the smartphone are sent simultaneously to the linked devices. When you link a new one or create a new session, the history is sent encrypted to these devices so that it is available when you connect.
Once the transfer from one device to another is complete, all the encryption keys are removed from the new device, and the messages are saved to a local database. So everything remains end-to-end encrypted. WhatsApp has a series of keys that depend, of course, on the main device. All messages sent and received are encrypted with these keys and this allows us to read them from any of the sessions that we have open, but also that all sessions are in sync when we send or receive a message.
How to link and use
The first thing we must have on hand to link the devices is a mobile phone. Specifically, the mobile phone that we usually use to connect to WhatsApp. At the moment, as we say, they are in beta but we can activate it now to test,
We open WhatsApp and go to the three points in the upper right corner of the application. We touch on these points and a menu will open with several available options:
- New group
- New broadcast
- Linked devices
- Featured posts
- Settings
Of course, here we must give the option “Linked devices” that will take us to the multi-device screen where we can join the beta version at the bottom. You can choose “Beta version for various devices”. Here we can read all the options and limitations that we have collected in previous paragraphs. Once you join you can start pairing the devices by following the steps that we will explain below.
We touch on “Link a device” with the green button that we see on the screen. A confirmation of identity will then appear, which can be with a PIN or with the fingerprint reader. The mobile phone camera will then open with a box with green corners that we will have to use to focus the QR code of the application or web that we want. If you want to link it to your computer, open web.whatsapp.com in your browser.
A QR code will appear on the computer screen, in the browser, on the right side. With mobile phone camera you will have to focus this code and scan it. You will automatically link both devices and you can start enjoying the new WhatsApp feature.
To check that it works independently you just have to put Airplane Mode on your phone and check that WiFi and data are disabled. Go to web.whatsapp.com and try sending a message to someone. You will see how it arrives without any problem.
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