WhatsApp: Linked WhatsApp phone, what it cannot do

In April social messaging app rolled out a feature that most users including companies had been waiting for, the ability to link two devices or more devices to one account.

Meta-owned WhatsApp said the feature would allow users to synchronize messages across devices seamlessly

Up to four devices can be linked which include web browsers, tablets, and desktops all encrypted for privacy.

We spot the small issues.

Linked devices have limited features, for instance, a linked device may not be able to send a live location or add a status due to the fact that they are not supported on companion phones.

WhatsApp said companion devices would be logged out if users do not use their primary phone for over 14 days.

More challenges

We picked up some issues with adding contacts using a companion phone.  It seems using a companion phone trying to add a new contact in order to send them a text on WhatsApp is still not supported.

Other unavailable options are:

Voice calls and video calls used to be an issue and but it seems WhatsApp has updated and a companion device is able to make calls the last time we checked.

Changing a phone number on a secondary device may be a challenge.  The linked second phone cannot change the phone number associated with the WhatsApp account.  The action must be done on the primary device.

Creating or delete groups using a linked device seems unavailable but the action can be performed on the primary device.

Accessing archived chats using a linked secondary device may be an issue. Users can only view archived chats on the primary device.

While these issues remain today, it is important to note that WhatsApp is continuously evolving and these current limitations may change with incoming updates.

Update to the latest version to get the best out of the app.

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