One will be able to link up to four devices to their account, which includes browsers and other devices. The company has confirmed that the feature supports end-to-end encryption, which means all your personal messages, media, and calls will remain private.

The good thing is you will be able to use WhatsApp Web, Desktop, and Portal even when the main phone didn’t have an active internet connection. However, if the main device remains disconnected for over 14 days, the linked devices will be automatically logged out.

How to use WhatsApp Web without your smartphone

It should be noted that you will be required to link your device to the Web, Desktop, or Portal at the initial stage, after which you will be able to use WhatsApp without connecting your smartphone. Here’s a quick look at how you can do that.

Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your phone and tap on the three-dotted icon, which is located on the top right corner of the screen.

Step 2: Tap on “Linked devices” and then tap again on “Multi-device beta.” WhatsApp will then display a page, which explains the limitations of the feature and other things.

Step 3: Now, tap on the “Join Beta” button and press on the “Continue” button. Once done, you simply need to link your smartphone to WhatsApp Web by scanning the QR code.

What to keep in mind before using this feature

There are some of the features that aren’t currently supported if you are planning to use this multi-media feature. The company says in its blog post that this feature will not work if someone clears or deletes chats on companion devices if the primary device is an iPhone.

The feature doesn’t support those devices that are using a very old version of WhatsApp. This is also the case with tablets.

WhatsApp notes that one won’t be able to view live location on companion devices. The multi-device beta feature also doesn’t support messages with link previews from WhatsApp Web and creating/viewing a broadcast list on companion devices.