Until now, to use WhatsApp web on the desktop or any other device required that you had a phone that was powered on and connected. However, the Instant Messaging Service is rolling out a limited public beta test for its improved multi-device capability.
With this update, WhatsApp users will be able to use the service for the first time on four non-phone devices, with or without a registered phone connected to the Internet.
As part of the announcement in this blog post, WhatsApp confirms that each companion device will be able to connect to WhatsApp independently. WhatsApp says with the new multi-device architecture you will no longer require a smartphone
By requiring the phone to perform all operations, companion devices are slower and frequently get disconnected — especially when the phone has a poor connection, its battery is running low, or the application process gets killed by the phone’s OS. It also allows for only a single companion device to be operative at a time, meaning people can’t be on a call in Portal while checking their messages on their PC, for example.
“To achieve this, we had to rethink WhatsApp’s architecture and design new systems to enable a standalone multi-device experience while preserving privacy and end-to-end encryption,” the company said while giving more insight in a document published on Wednesday. “Each message is individually encrypted using the established pairwise encryption session with each device. Messages are not stored on the server after they are delivered.”
WhatsApp also confirmed that it has developed new technologies which ensure that, even on multiple devices, messages sync while maintaining end-to-end encryption. This is currently not available in the instant messaging service niche.
WhatsApp says it hasn’t changed how it uses cloud backups for users. “The mechanism we use to synchronize messages and other app data across a user’s devices is independent from our cloud backups,” it added, citing the white paper that further describes the protocol.
However, it is yet to announce when this feature will roll out to all users. Instead, it announced that it will first introduce the feature to existing beta users. It plans to add it as a beta feature for a small number of users and as a stable version of the app in the coming months.
The multi-device feature is one of the many improvements users will see while using Instant-Messaging Service. There are rumors that WhatsApp is developing a dedicated app for the iPad. It is also adding improvements to its disappearing mode feature. WhatsApp currently allows users to set a 7-day timer on messages. It is, however, planning to extend this feature to allow users to share pictures and videos that can only be viewed once.
