If you regularly use more than one phone, and you’re a WhatsApp user, you’re probably not happy with the fact that you cannot use the same account on multiple devices.
This might change soon. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a feature called « companion mode » to some beta users, allowing them to set up and use the same WhatsApp account on up to four devices at the same time.
The feature is only available in the latest beta version of WhatsApp (version 2.22.24.18), and has only been rolled out to some users. It’s easy to set up; when you install WhatsApp on a new phone, the option will show up in the three-dot menu in the upper right corner (that’s on Android, the feature apparently isn’t available on iPhones yet), allowing you to link with another device via a QR code.
Companion mode was first tested in a previous WhatsApp beta, but then it was only available on tablets; now you can add multiple phones as well. It’s also worth noting that this has long been available in the desktop version of WhatsApp, which you can easily link to your phone app.
The advantages of having WhatsApp synced across multiple devices are quite obvious: all of your messages and files should always be there, regardless of which device you open WhatsApp on. For someone like me, who regularly changes phones for testing purposes, it’s a life saver.
Companion mode is still a limited beta, meaning that even if you are a beta tester and have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your Android phone, you might not see it yet. But the fact that it’s trickling down to some users probably means it will probably get a wider release soon.
