Rumors of a WhatsApp iPad app have been around for a long time – even Meta boss Zuckerberg promised in 2021 that an iPad version of the popular messenger would arrive “…in two months.” Those two months turned into almost three years, but last weekend WhatsApp for iPad launched in beta and you can finally get WhatsApp on iPad.
Whatsapp on iPad can be tested in beta version
Halyna Kubiv
Downloaded via Test Flight, the app weighs just 224MB and is very similar to the web or desktop version of WhatsApp. Just like the desktop app, the app uses a much larger iPad screen and displays the latest chats in the chronological list in an additional sidebar.
You can place a WhatsApp widget on the home screen, and there are currently three variations available: with a digital badge and with two or four recent chats displayed. The developer is apparently planning two more variants of message preview widgets, but these are not yet available.
Your own account is linked by scanning a QR code in the tablet app with your smartphone (just as you would to access WhatsApp Web and access your WhatsApp messages on another device). Shortly after, your own chats sync and you can use the app on the iPad just like you would on your phone.
The app makes a good impression and didn't crash during our brief tests. However, it is difficult to say when Meta will release a final version of its popular messenger for iPad in the App Store. Previous statements from the developers were unreliable, but the beta is a good sign that Meta will release the iPad version to the App Store in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp on iPad works on all devices that can run iOS 12 and above, so the requirements are quite low and even owners of older devices can benefit from it.
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This article was originally published in our sister publication Macwelt and has been translated and adapted from German.
