WhatsApp is getting a killer upgrade — what you need to know

(Image credit: Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)

WhatsApp could soon be used across multiple phones, as references to "Linked devices" in the settings of the latest beta version have been uncovered by WABetaInfo.

By digging around in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.20.196.8., an option that hints at the potential for the messaging service to run across more than one phone was found.

In its current full-release version, WhatsApp requires a phone number to be linked to it. If you move over to another phone you can receive all your chats and media used in WhatsApp through a backup, but you must use the same number as you did on the previous phone. If you wish to move to a different number, you’ll have to start a new WhatsApp profile.

While such profiles are easy to set up, the process can be disruptive to your flow of messaging and can make it complicated for your contacts to know what profile to message. You can also use WhatsApp on desktop and web apps, but these all require a phone number verification, making them a little fiddly to set up.

But if the “Linked devices” feature does indeed allow for WhatsApp to be used with more than one phone at once, then it could make using the service a lot easier if you happen to bounce between different phones quite a bit. WABetaInfo noted that WhatsApp is testing the feature to allow for up to four devices to be linked.

Those devices don’t have to be phones either, as it looks like you can also link macOS machines as well. Either way, such a feature has been something a lot of WhatsApp users have been after for some time. And while it’s been hinted at being on its way, this new beta settings option suggests that the multiple device support could come sooner than later.

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.