WhatsApp Launches Official Companion App for Apple Watch
It’s not just notifications anymore. Send voice, see photos, and get stickers right from your watch.
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| WhatsApp's new watchOS 10 app with voice messages in action. Image: Meta | Licensed by: Kinghacks365 |
Today, parent company Meta announced the long-awaitedofficial WhatsApp companion app for Apple Watch, which now lets you not only see notifications from your chats but also interact with them. This new app lets you easily chat with your recipients using voice messages, text, call notifications, and even share media and stickers. This new app is a complete advantage for a better experience directly from your watch. WhatsApp acknowledged this, stating you can "stay on top of your WhatsApp chats without pulling out your iPhone." The features of the new WhatsApp companion app for Apple Watch are listed below.
What's New: The Key Features You Actually Get
The WhatsApp companion app for Apple Watch comes with numerous features that were clearly absent in the old (mirrored) notification method. Let’s take a look at what new features we have.
Send and Receive Voice Messages
You can now easily send and receive voice messages directly from your Apple Watch using the new companion app. This is a basic and important feature that was missing and not possible with the old notification mirror method.
Access Your Chat History
Another feature considered important is that the new app lets you easily access your chat history right where you left off, which wasn't possible previously. With your chat history available, you can continue your conversation without any confusion.
Start New Chats & Reply
See an important message and want to reply immediately from your wrist? Don't worry. The new companion app lets you easily reply to messages and share your emotions with emojis and stickers. You are also able to view stickers from recipients. This also includes emoji reactions to messages.
View Images
Unlike the old method, where images sent in chats were not visible on the Apple Watch, you are now able to view images and media shared in your conversations. A very basic and necessary feature—kudos to WhatsApp for adding it.
How to Install the Official WhatsApp App on Your Apple Watch
The question in your mind now is how to install the official WhatsApp app on your Apple Watch. WhatsApp explicitly stated that "WhatsApp for Apple Watch will be available for any Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 10 or later." The first step is to make sure you have the right device on your wrist. You can then download it with these easy steps.
- Prerequisite: Ensure your iPhone has the latest version of WhatsApp (from the App Store) and your Apple Watch has the latest watchOS 10 (or later).
- Open the "Watch" app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down to the "Available Apps" section.
- Find "WhatsApp" in the list and tap the "Install" button.
- Wait for the app to appear on your Apple Watch home screen.
Old vs. New: Why This Is a Game-Changer
The major difference between the old notification mirror method and the official WhatsApp companion app is that the old method was just for notifications—no chat replies, no voice messages, nothing. But the new app is a full-fledged app made specifically for the Apple Watch. The company also repeated its slogan: "As always, your personal messages and calls remain private with end-to-end encryption." A breakdown of the differences is below.
|
Feature |
Old Method (Notification Mirror) |
New Official Companion App |
|
Voice
Messages |
Cannot listen
or send |
Yes (Listen
& Record) |
|
Chat History |
Only new
notifications |
Yes (Syncs
recent chats) |
|
Start New
Chat |
No |
Yes |
|
View Images |
No / Blurry
notification |
Yes (Full
view) |
|
App Icon |
No |
Yes (On watch
home screen) |
