Although they need to experience a resurgence in popularity and sales, there are still a variety of popular apps that either don’t work natively on iPads are or don’t work properly. Instagram is that the child of the latter with its suboptimal experience of Apple’s slates. WhatsApp, Facebook’s other social media property, isn’t following its sibling’s footsteps and may need a native app for iPads and even Android tablets coming soon.
Just like Instagram, it’s possible to use WhatsApp on an iPad. Unlike Instagram, however, you’ll need to bend over backward to form it happens, not to mention still require a smartphone with a lively WhatsApp account. This may be fine in the past, but WhatsApp’s multi-device thrust requires some changes to those limitations.
According to WABetaInfo, those changes are already afoot. With the upcoming “Multi-Device 2.0” features, it’ll be possible to use iPads as a replacement linked device. In the future, even Android tablets will suffice for that role.
However, the important tidbit is that the WhatsApp for iPad app is predicted to be a native app, not an internet app. Not only does that mean it’ll be faster and have access to all or any of the features a native app has, but it also means the app can work independently. In other words, it’d soon be possible to use WhatsApp on the iPad, albeit your smartphone is offline.
• Is WhatsApp for iPad a web app? No, it's a native app!
• Will WhatsApp for iPad work independently? Yes.
• Is WhatsApp for iPad already available? No.
• WhatsApp beta for iPad? If you have WhatsApp beta for iOS, you will automatically have the iPad version in the future. https://t.co/aQYBBtW7Sb— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) August 21, 2021
There is no word yet on when this app will come, but those registered for WhatsApp beta testing will be ready to see the iPad beta app when it finally arrives. In the meantime, WhatsApp is rolling out the beta versions of its desktop apps for Windows and macOS as part of an equivalent thrust to bring multi-device support to the platform completely.
