La funzione multi-device di WhatsApp più attesa dagli utenti potrebbe arrivare davvero presto, ma non sarà come ci si aspettava: cosa sappiamo
Veronica Nicosia Giornalista scientifico
Laureata in astrofisica, giornalista scientifico e content editor SEO, scrive di tecnologia per magazine online e carta stampata. Nel 2020 approda a Libero Tecnologia
C’è una funzione che gli utenti di WhatsApp aspettano da tempo e che finalmente sta per arrivare nel 2021: la multi-device. This is the ability to use the popular messaging app from other devices, such as tablets and PCs, even when your smartphone isn’t connected to the Internet.
After a very long wait and many false starts, last week it was Mark Zuckerberg himself who confirmed that WhatsApp multi-device is coming and you won’t have to wait much longer to try it on your own devices. The developers of the messaging app are constantly working and the roll-out of the feature will begin soon, and if there are no bugs to fix or other hiccups it will then be released for everyone. For those who hoped that WhatsApp’s multi-device would allow you to use the app simultaneously on two smartphones, however, there’s bad news: you’ll only be able to use the feature on one phone.
WhatsApp multi-device: how it works
To date, you can use WhatsApp on a smartphone or desktop version, from the browser of a PC or tablet. However, when you turn off your phone or disconnect it from the Internet, WhatsApp desktop also stops working.
Everything is bound to change with the introduction of multi-device, the feature that allows users to connect up to 4 devices to their main WhatsApp account and use them even when the smartphone is disconnected or turned off.
After connecting to the various devices, chats will be synchronized, as well as it will be possible to make calls and video calls even from the connected devices. Once you install the new version with the additional functionality, however, you won’t be able to send messages and make calls to those who have an old version of the app.
Also, you won’t be able to install the app on two smartphones at the same time: for example, an iPhone and an Android one. This is because the WhatsApp account is associated with the user’s phone number and his SIM card, so you won’t be able to use two phones at the same time, but only one phone and 4 other devices.
WhatsApp multi-device: when it arrives
The WhatsApp multi-device will be released as a beta feature for all users who want to try it and at first it will be optional. After an initial roll-out phase, with beta testers for Android and iOS devices coming in the next two months, it will be necessary to check for bugs and fix them.
In the first weeks of June, both Mark Zuckerberg, WhatsApp’s owner, and head Will Cathcart confirmed to WABetaInfo that multi-device will arrive within the next two months. Zuckerberg himself said in an interview in early June, “It will still be end-to-end encrypted. It’s been a big technical challenge to get all messages and content to sync properly across devices even when the phone battery dies, but we’ve solved that problem and look forward to releasing it soon.”