WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg have confirmed that multi-device capability is in the testing phase on the popular messaging service.
In a group chat with WABetaInfo, Zuckerberg confirmed that the multi-device capability feature will allow users to link their WhatsApp account on up to four different devices at the same time even when their primary smartphone does not have an active internet connection.
“It’s been a big technical challenge to get all your messages and content to sync properly across devices even when your phone battery dies, but we’ve solved this and we’re looking forward to getting it out soon!” Zuckerberg told about the multi-device support.
Zuckerberg also added that this feature will not affect end-to-end encryption and keep users’ chats private.
Cathcart confirmed that multi-device support will be rolled out in public beta in the next couple of months. He also suggested multi-device support may enable support for WhatsApp on iPad and there are plans to expand it to the iOS WhatsApp beta soon.
Other upcoming features confirmed to be coming soon to WhatsApp include “Disappearing Mode.” This feature will turn on disappearing messages for all chat threads, making the WhatsApp experience for users “ephemeral,” according to Zuckerberg.
Once this feature is enabled, users will be able to convert all chats to disappearing mode where messages will be automatically deleted for everyone after seven days.
Additionally, WhatsApp will also be rolling out the “View Once” mode for photos and videos. This feature will allow users to share pictures and videos that can only be viewed once by the recipient. In other words, photos and videos sent by the user will disappear from the chat soon after the recipient views it once.
Neither Cathcart nor Zuckerberg have confirmed when these features would be accessible.
Keep watching this space for more updates, as this is a developing story!
