The wait is (finally) over. The official release of WhatsApp for Apple iPad is here. It only took 16 years, as WhatsApp first came on the scene back in 2009. In fact, the messaging platform came before the iPad itself, which hit the market in 2010.
The iPad has a much larger screen area than a smartphone, and Meta seems to have made good use of this extra space. The app takes advantage of the tablet’s multitasking capabilities, such as Split View and Slide Over, so that users can view multiple applications at the same time. This makes it possible, for example, to browse the web while chatting with a friend.
The iPad version of the app also works with the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil, which should speed up communication. The app allows video and audio calls with up to 32 people and integrates with front and rear cameras. As with other versions of WhatsApp, chats are synchronized between devices. WhatsApp for iPad is available right now in the App Store.
One down, one to go. We’re still waiting for Meta to make a dedicated Instagram app for iPad tablets. The latest reports indicate that the company is indeed working on it, after 15 long years during which we all had to use the scaled-down iPhone app and pretend to enjoy it.
