How to Use WhatsApp on Your Mac (without Your iPhone)

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Long gone are the days when you needed to have your iPhone nearby to use WhatsApp on your Mac. There used to be a time when you needed to basically connect your iPhone to your Mac via a QR code to use WhatsApp on Mac – and even then, you were stuck with needing your iPhone close by just in case.

Now, WhatsApp has a new update that lets you use it on any Mac computer without connecting your iPhone. You can now link up to four different devices and use WhatsApp on each one individually, without using your iPhone. It also works on Android devices too, in case you have one. 

How to use WhatsApp on Your Mac

You’ll still need to link your Mac to your iPhone’s WhatsApp app before you can use it without it. So, you’ll need to scan a QR code one last time. 

First, make sure you download the WhatsApp app for your Mac. You can find it on the App Store or follow the link. Afterward, follow the next steps:

  1. Open the WhatsApp app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on Settings at the bottom right corner of your screen.
  3. Tap on Linked Devices.
  4. Tap on Multi-Device Beta.
  5. Select Join Beta.
  6. Tap Back in the top left corner.
  7. Tap on Link a Device. You may need to confirm it’s you by using Face ID or Touch ID.
  8. Go to your Mac and open the WhatsApp app. You can also go to web.whatsapp.com.
  9. Use your iPhone to scan the QR code that appears on the WhatsApp app or on the website. You may need to rescan the code one more time.
  10. Wait a moment for WhatsApp to load your messages on your Mac.

And you’re done! Now you can access WhatsApp from your Mac anytime you want. You can repeat these steps and add three other different devices.

Keep in mind that this feature is still in beta, which means it might have a few issues or bugs when you use it. Fortunately, WhatsApp made it so you can opt-out of the beta at any time.

How to Leave WhatsApp’s Multi-Device Beta 

Leaving the multi-device beta is just as easy as joining. Just follow these steps:

  1. Open the WhatsApp app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap on Settings in the bottom right corner. 
  3. Select Linked Devices.
  4. Tap on Multi-Device Beta.
  5. Tap Leave Beta.
  6. Confirm that you want to leave by tapping Continue.

You’ll be automatically disconnected from all devices you had linked. Don’t worry, though; you can join the beta again if you want. 

How to Log Out of Other Devices

If you decide you want to remove any of the four linked devices, you can easily log out from your iPhone like this:

  1. Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.
  2. Select Settings from the bottom right corner of your screen.
  3. Tao in Linked Devices.
  4. Tap on the device you want to remove.
  5. Tap on Log Out.
  6. Tap Log Out again to confirm your decision.

You’ll be immediately logged out of the device you selected. Keep in mind that you can also use these steps to see the most recent activity on every device to keep control.

What You Need to Keep in Mind Before Linking Your Devices to WhatsApp

Note that WhatsApp on other devices has some limitations. For instance, you can’t message or call anyone from the web, desktop, or Portal to users who have an outdated version of WhatsApp. Also, you can’t delete messages or conversation threads from any of the linked devices. You’ll need to use your iPhone for that. 

Also, WhatsApp says that you may experience some other performance and quality issues, but your messages and calls will continue to be end-to-end encrypted. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can use any linked device for WhatsApp without using your main iPhone. But you can only do this for 14 days, and if you spend over 14 days without using your main device, the linked devices will be automatically disconnected.

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