WhatsApp's Latest Update: Use 1 Account On Up to 4 Phones - Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Meta Platforms Inc.'s META popular messaging app WhatsApp now allows users to access one account on multiple devices simultaneously.

What Happened: Previously limited to browsers, computers and Android tablets alongside the primary phone, WhatsApp’s multi-device feature has been enhanced to allow users to access the app on up to four phones simultaneously.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced that users can now log into a single WhatsApp account on up to four smartphones, eliminating the need to worry about having multiple accounts for different devices.

The feature works across both Apple Inc.'s AAPL iOS and smartphones using the Android operating system owned by Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL. The feature is rolling out worldwide and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

How To Avail Of The New Feature: To set up a secondary phone for use with your WhatsApp account, a fresh install of the app is required. Now, instead of entering your phone number and logging in, users need to select the “link to existing account” option, which generates a QR code for their primary WhatsApp phone to scan through the “link a device” option in settings.

It is pertinent to note that users "primary" does not need to stay online for WhatsApp to work on linked devices, but if it remains inactive for more than 14 days, linked devices will be logged out automatically.

Why It's Important: According to WhatsApp, regardless of using the multi-device feature, personal messages will remain end-to-end encrypted.

NEW: Use @WhatsApp on more than one phone!

Thanks to some improvements in our multi-device technology, we are rolling out the ability to link a second phone (or third, or fourth) to your WA account. And, of course, it's all still protected by end-to-end encryption. pic.twitter.com/gu5E2ExQ8S
— Will Cathcart (@wcathcart) April 25, 2023