WhatsApp is an incredibly popular iPhone app, connecting over a billion active members around the world every day. It lets you send messages to friends or groups of friends over Wi-Fi or 4G/5G and save on your phone bill. (Of course, you might end up paying for data if you go over your limit, so don’t go crazy!)
Unfortunately, at the moment WhatsApp is only available for iPhone – there is no version of the app for iPad despite the fact that WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart (as of January 2022) admitted in an interview that people have been asking for an iPad app for a long time. Cathcart revealed that much of the infrastructure needed to develop an iPad app is already in place, but he made no immediate promises.
Things could be about to change, however. WhatsApp for iPad is available in beta through TestFlight and can be installed on the iPad if you are part of the WhatsApp beta testing program. Unfortunately, the Whatsapp for iPad beta has remained in beta since it became available in September 2023 and it is still unclear when it might be released to the public.
If you’re not in the WhatsApp beta, don’t despair. In this tutorial, we show you how to use WhatsApp on iPad using WhatsApp Web. This service connects to the WhatsApp account on your iPhone (or Android device) and transfers messages to your iPad, allowing you to send and receive messages, photos and videos. It’s not quite native to WhatsApp on iPad, but it’s the next best thing.
There is also a WhatsApp Desktop version if you want to use WhatsApp on your Mac. See: How to Get WhatsApp on Mac for more information on this.
WhatsApp for iPad release date
Although there is currently no WhatsApp app on the iPad, it looks like there will be one soon. Since September 2023, WhatsApp beta testers have been able to test a beta version of WhatsApp for iPad. The beta seems to be the most promising evidence yet that a version of Whatsapp will come to the iPad.
However, a year later, it is still unclear when a Whatsapp version for iPad will be available.
Why is Whatsapp for iPad still in beta? If the absence of WhatsApp on iPad is due to security concerns, perhaps the changes in iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 that now allow support for RCS messaging will pave the way for the update. Support for Rich Communication Services (RCS) means iPhone users can see if their message has been delivered to Android users and see typing indicators indicating whether they are responding. Apple says the reason RCS wasn’t previously on the iPhone was due to security concerns.
Anyway, Whatsapp doesn’t seem to want to keep Whatsapp off the iPad. Over the years, there have been many indications that WhatsApp would eventually come to iPad, including Will Cathcart’s revelation above that people were asking for one, and this tweet from August 2021, indicating that a WhatsApp team, owned by Meta/Facebook, was working on a WhatsApp application for iPad:
How to get WhatsApp on iPad using WhatsApp Web
Although there isn’t a WhatsApp app for iPad yet, there are ways to get your WhatsApp on your iPad.
Follow these steps to get WhatsApp on an iPad:
- Open Safari on your iPad and navigate to web.whatsapp.com.
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- In Whatsapp, tap Settings.
- Tap Linked devices.
- Tap Link device.
- Use your iPhone to scan the QR code and pair it with your iPhone.
- A web page should now load and display all your recent WhatsApp messages, as well as any media or voice notes.
Be aware that there are some limitations when using WhatsApp this way. Most importantly, unlike using the service on a Mac or PC, web browser notifications are not supported on iOS/iPadOS. You will not be notified of new messages.
Apart from that and a few small bugs, the service is quite simple to use and is a great alternative for WhatsApp users wanting to access the service on iPad.
WhatsApp Web is a free and easy way to access the WhatsApp service on your iPad. Although you won’t receive notifications (like you would when using the service on a Mac or PC), it’s a great way to easily access your messages on a tablet.
Are you switching from Android to iPhone and want to take your WhatsApp messages with you? Read: How to Move WhatsApp Messages from Android to iPhone.
How to install WhatsApp beta on iPad
To run the WhatsApp for iPad beta, you need to use Apple’s TestFlight.
Unfortunately, the Whatsapp for iPad beta is currently full and has been for a while, but slots have popped up from time to time, so it’s worth checking.
For more help on installing WhatsApp for iPad beta, read this.
