WhatsApp has revealed a significant update that will impact millions of users as it plans to bring the application to new devices. Similar to Instagram, the WhatsApp application for iPad has been highly requested, as current iPad users must rely on WhatsApp Web to use the app. However, WhatsApp has hinted that its official application for iPad may be in development.
In a conversation with The Verge this week, WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart suggested the project, stating, "People have wanted the app for iPad for a long time. We love to do that." While Cathcart's remarks do not constitute a commitment to launch an iPad version, they indicate the possibility of such an update being created in the near future, especially after the Meta-owned company has built the necessary core technology for such devices.
Cathcart noted, "We've done a lot of work on the technology to support multiple devices," referring to the introduction of multi-device support for WhatsApp last year. He continued, "This is now available on the web and our desktop applications, and if I have multiple devices running, I can turn off my phone or lose the network connection and continue to receive messages on the desktop. This would be very important for the tablet app, to be able to use the app even if your phone is not on; so the core technology is there."
Due to the way WhatsApp encrypts messages, it has historically been unable to sync chats across devices online like most other messaging applications. Only the sending and receiving devices hold the decryption keys. This means that no one else can read the messages—not hackers, law enforcement, or Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp. However, it has proven challenging to add additional devices without keeping the connection to a smartphone.
Recently, WhatsApp addressed this by allowing multiple phones to use the app without the primary device being online. The beta version of the multi-device support feature enables users to sync their WhatsApp account to four devices at once, a process that involves assigning device IDs to an account key on WhatsApp servers in a way that remains encrypted.
Now that this synchronization technology is available, there is a good chance that the WhatsApp application for iPad is finally on the horizon. Unfortunately, Meta has not yet confirmed that the feature will definitely arrive, so iPad owners will simply have to wait for now. Meanwhile, WhatsApp Web can still be accessed in a browser on iPad, as long as your iPhone is also connected to the internet.
