Have you ever swapped from one phone to another, sticking your SIM card in before realising that you’ve just authenticated WhatsApp on the new phone before backing up properly from the last? That’s a common issue here at Stuff but the frustrating ‘swap back and reauthenticate’ dance might be a thing of the past soon. Yup, WhatsApp’s testing the ability to use the app across several devices while retaining a single phone number.

Long time coming

The feature has been requested by users for some time now and, as of WhatsApp Beta 2.20.196.8, it’s now a distinct possibility. WABetaInfo was the first to spot it, with the option to add a so-called linked device turning up in the most recent test version of the messaging app.

The current test suggests that users could have WhatsApp running on a notebook, PC, phone, and tablet at the same time (or possibly on several phones), controlling access to a single account through a series of new settings. An option for Linked Devices opens up a section where authorised devices can be added. Or removed, as the case may be.

There’s currently no timeline for when the feature will be fully up and running, so we’ve got no idea when (or if, in case the test bombs) the ability to use WhatsApp on more than one device will appear. Mostly, we just know we’d like to see it sooner rather than later. Even if it means that we’ll get WhatsApp notifications on up to four devices at once.

Source: WABetaInfo