WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, boasting one billion daily users and an incredible 65 billion messages sent every day, helping people keep in touch no matter what. The iPad, especially with a connected keyboard and trackpad, provides a great way to browse and send WhatsApp messages but, unfortunately, there’s no WhatsApp for iPad.
That’s the end of it, right? Wrong. While there might not be an official WhatsApp for iPad app, there is a way to use WhatsApp on your iPad: WhatsApp Web. We explain everything you need to know right here.
Using WhatsApp on an iPad
Although WhatsApp is rumoured to be working on multi-device support for the popular messaging service, the only way you can use WhatsApp on an iPad right now is via WhatsApp Web. That means you’ll have to connect your WhatsApp-enabled iPhone to your iPad via Safari – it might sound complicated, but it’s a straightforward process that’ll take no longer than 30 seconds, and it’ll work if you’ve got an Android too.
- Open Safari on your iPad and head to web.whatsapp.com. If you’re running iOS 13, skip ahead to step 3.
- If you’re running iOS 12 or earlier, you’ll need to get WhatsApp Web to display the desktop interface – the site will redirect you to the WhatsApp home page by default. This is done by tapping and holding the refresh button to the right of the site URL until you see a button appear. Tap Load Desktop Site and wait for the page to refresh – you should now see the WhatsApp Web interface.
- On your iPhone, open WhatsApp and head to Settings > WhatsApp Web and scan the QR code displayed on your iPad to pair the devices. If you’re on an Android, open WhatsApp, open the Chats screen, tap the three dots and select WhatsApp Web to scan the QR code.
- WhatsApp Web on your iPad will then refresh, displaying all your recent WhatsApp chats with friends and family. Enjoy!
The only real downside to using WhatsApp Web on an iPad is the lack of notification support; while you’ll get notifications when using the service on a Mac or PC, Apple doesn’t currently allow websites to access push notifications via Safari on iPhone or iPad. You’ll hear the familiar chime with incoming messages when you’ve got the website open, but you won’t be notified once you close your browser.
Oh, and while WhatsApp didn’t initially support the sending of voice messages over WhatsApp Web on iPad, the company has since added full integration – a big win for iPad users!
For more on WhatsApp, take a look at how to group video call on WhatsApp.
Via Techadvisor