Last Updated: May 31, 2023, 13:09 IST
Companion mode first came to Android
The messaging app lets you use the same WhatsApp account on up to four iPhones with all the chats seamlessly transferred.
WhatsApp is rolling out the features in a jiffy. After offering its companion mode for Android users last month, the messaging app is bringing the feature for iPhone users this week. Companion Mode allows you to link up to 5 Android phones to a single account, and for iPhone users the limit is set at four by the company.
This means you can use one WhatsApp account on four different iPhones without replacing the SIM card on these devices. If you are using WhatsApp on iOS then update to the version 23.10.76 which gets the new functionality. You can also update the app from the App Store and check for the version available for your device.
You can start linking other iPhones to this account by trying to sign up with WhatsApp. You will notice a Link this device option below the login box, click on it to start the linking. WhatsApp will show you a QR code which can be used to link the WhatsApp account to the other iPhone.
Scan the code on the secondary iPhone and you will get a loading your chats screen on the device, which means the linking was a success and now the account is transferring all your chats and other data from the main device.
WhatsApp has made the companion mode seamless so that you can easily get all the chat history that too is secured behind end-to-end encryption which is applicable on the linked iPhones as well. Having said that, some features like messaging broadcast lists and the status update of your profile are reserved for the primary device, in this case the iPhone.
While bringing this feature to iOS is good news for iPhone users, WhatsApp is already expanding its feature set for Android by testing screen sharing with its beta testers. It also wants to reduce the number of unknown callers who can be spammers.
