WhatsApp multi-device support won’t let you use app on more than one smartphone | 91mobiles.com

A few weeks ago, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself confirmed that WhatsApp was working on multi-device support and a host of other features. Getting the former right was a ‘technical challenge’, which could be why the feature has been in development for the better part of the year. Now, Wabetainfo has uncovered some rather disappointing news about the feature. It seems what WhatsApp multi-device support will only let you use the messaging application on one smartphone and up to four other devices (desktop, laptop and Portal). Thankfully, your smartphone doesn’t need to have an active internet connection, which is a slight improvement over the current situation. 

It is also worth noting that the feature is only available for beta testers of WhatsApp, which doesn’t have an open beta program ongoing. Thankfully, it is available for both Android and iOS versions of the app. One of the limitations includes the inability to send messages to anyone running an older version of WhatsApp. It doesn’t specify which version, though, so you should be good if you keep updating WhatsApp regularly. Lastly, one can make and receive audio calls from all five linked devices. 

While this might come as disappointing for many, getting multi-device functionality on an app that uses E2E (end-to-end) encryption is quite a difficult task. Multiple smartphones could be supported, eventually. WhatsApp is also working on cross-platform compatibility, meaning that one will be able to use the app on an Android and iPhone at some point in the future. However, if you’re looking for an app that can do all that in the here and now, consider these WhatsApp alternatives that offer a richer feature set.