It’s only taken the better part of fifteen years and the cacophony of a billion-or-more whiners, but Meta has launched WhatsApp for the iPad. Now that Magic Keyboard can finally be put to good use, yeah? The new app arrived on the App Store this morning, and brings with it all the features you’d expect from the messenger.
One that took ages
“Bringing all your favourite features to a larger screen, WhatsApp for iPad makes keeping in touch with friends and family even easier. Make video and audio calls with up to 32 people, share your screen, and use both front and back cameras,” the Meta-owned company wrote in its announcement.
A native WhatsApp app suitable for iPadOS has been a long time coming. Users were previously forced to boot up the messenger through their iPad’s browser if they were set on taking advantage of the larger iPad screen. Back in 2022, Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, told The Verge, “People have wanted an iPad app for a long time,” and that “We’d love to do it.”
Read More: WhatsApp Web users will get a handy chat media hub soon
Meta hasn’t offered any explanation for the lengthy delay in delivering a native iPadOS version of the app, but we aren’t complaining. The app is just as capable of keeping your messages synced across devices as your mobile and desktop devices, thanks to WhatsApp’s “industry-leading multi-device technology.”
While the iPadOS version hardly differs from its mobile counterparts in terms of looks, Meta has introduced some iPad-only features that might convince you to try out the new app. iPadOS already features several multitasking features such as Stage Manager, Split View, and Slide Over, all of which can be used in conjunction with WhatsApp to browse the web while keeping the conversation going. Oh, and it’ll even support Apple Pencil.
