In the summer of 2021, it finally happened: WhatsApp Business can be used on multiple devices at the same time! Thanks to the new update from WhatsApp, it is possible to use WhatsApp Business on four other devices in addition to your phone. In this blog, we will first discuss the many advantages this offers, for consumers and especially for Wappy users.

The situation before this update was as follows. Your mobile phone needed to have an internet connection when you wanted to use WhatsApp Web. The web version synchronized with the smartphone app, which was not possible without an internet connection. This meant that when the smartphone was not connected or turned off, WhatsApp Web did not work. WhatsApp on the computer was nothing more than a relay to and from the app on the phone. Moreover, a difficult situation had arisen for businesses. Many companies nowadays have WhatsApp as part of / an option within their customer service. Because in this situation only two people could respond via WhatsApp at the same time (1 on the phone, the other via WhatsApp Web), this limited many businesses.

That is now changing, currently only with a beta version. With the new feature, WhatsApp can be used on four devices, in addition to your smartphone. These can be computers, but also tablets (via the browser). It is not possible to use one account on multiple phones, but the app can be linked to four different devices at the same time. So now you can use WhatsApp Business with five colleagues and respond to the questions coming in through your Wappy chat window!

By linking your WhatsApp Business account to a WhatsApp widget on your website, you can enjoy the benefits of WhatsApp Business, and more! The widget provides customers with an easy way to contact your business and is fully customizable. Additionally, within the dashboard of your widget, you can read the messages sent to you. This means that your other employees can also find the questions from website visitors. Convenient, of course, as these questions can be clarified on the website or included in the FAQ. Thanks to the new feature within WhatsApp Business, now 5 colleagues can simultaneously staff your customer service and answer Wappy chats.

Do you also want to enjoy the benefits of a WhatsApp widget and WhatsApp Business combined? Then create your own widget for free, customize it completely to your taste and corporate identity, and help website visitors take the last step!

According to us, there are only advantages associated with using WhatsApp Business on multiple devices. That's why we immediately looked into how we and our Wappy users can achieve this. Fortunately, it's very easy.

Do you want to use the new feature of WhatsApp?
 

1. Open WhatsApp Business on your mobile phone;
    
2. Go to 'settings' in the bottom right;
3. Click on the 'linked devices' tab within the settings;
4. If you are eligible for the beta version, you can click on ‘Beta for multiple devices’;
5. You will now receive an explanation about the beta version and can choose to participate by accepting.

It is good to know that any previously linked devices now need to be re-linked via QR code. Once set up and linked, (four) other devices can now send and receive messages!

Once everything is set up within your WhatsApp Business account, it's time to link your devices. Here's how to do it:

1. Install the beta WhatsApp desktop app on your colleagues' computers to avoid error messages related to old app versions.
2. Open the apps on the computers and you will see a QR code. Scan this with the mobile phone linked to the WhatsApp Business account to activate WhatsApp Business on the computers. This can even be done via a video call by sharing the screen with the QR code!
3. Continue working with peace of mind; you don't need to stay close to each other with this new connection.

Tip: Working with multiple people simultaneously within one WhatsApp account can become confusing. Has someone already responded to that message? And what was this conversation about? A good way to solve this problem is by using labels and categorizing conversations or adding your name to the messages you are working on.

• This is a beta test, which means there may be glitches. For example, messages may be slow or not synchronize. Moreover, this is not yet available to everyone.
• Although you can now use WhatsApp on four devices at the same time, you can only link one phone (at a time) to your account.
• Possible devices to link include a computer (web or app), tablet (browser), and Facebook Portal.
• Your phone does not need to be connected to the other devices. This means that even if the mobile is turned off or offline, the other devices can continue to use WhatsApp.
• Your WhatsApp account still needs to be registered, and new devices must also be linked to your phone.
• When your phone is not used for 14 days, your linked devices will be unlinked.
• Messages are automatically synchronized between the phone and devices, including your history.
• Conversations remain end-to-end encrypted.