The long-awaited multi-device option was originally supposed to appear in about two months, but it came earlier than expected: it is already available for beta testers.
Menlo Park, USA -
As recently as the
end of June, the well-known blog
WABetaInfo
reported that there will be a long-awaited function on WhatsApp in about two months: the simultaneous use of the news service on multiple devices.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart had confirmed that.
Now the update came faster than expected and was only a few weeks instead of two months.
The new multi-device function can do that - and it can't
From now on, users can add a total of up to four devices under the "Linked devices" tab. It's simple and straightforward: Consumers enter the address web.whatsapp.com on their computer and then use their mobile phone to scan the QR code that appears. The new device is already connected and WhatsApp messages as well as voice or video calls can also be read or answered via the computer. The whole thing works even without an internet connection on the mobile phone. However, if you are inactive on your smartphone for more than 14 days, the current trial version will automatically log you out of all devices for security reasons.
The multi-device function is already available for the tablet, but WhatsApp users cannot add a second smartphone.
Many users wanted that.
The always well-informed blog
WABetaInfo
does not
rule out
this option for the future, because it is known that WhatsApp is working on a logout function.
This would be a prerequisite for linking two different smartphones - for example the private and the business cell phone.
Function not yet available?
This is what WhatsApp users do
The beta version is not already available for all users. It is important to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed. If you don't see the multi-device function yet, you could remedy the situation with an update of the WhatsApp function in the AppStore. Users will also need to manually join the beta program if they haven't already. To do this, click on the “Beta Tester” button in the Google Play Store, for example. iOS users must first download the TestFlight app. If there are still places available, you can use this to register as a beta tester. The multi-device function is a test version. This means that the function is in the test phase and is therefore initially only visible to selected users. For everyone else, it's still a matter of waiting.
WhatsApp from the laptop an advantage?
Spelling more important than expected
Using WhatsApp with the multi-device function on the laptop could have a positive side effect on communication: users usually write faster and correct spelling is easier for many on the computer keyboard.
Even with short messages, this is more important than expected, as a researcher from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg has now found out.
Dr.
As part of his doctorate, Florian Busch examined the writing style of young people via WhatsApp.
The result was surprising: Pupils perceive writing through the intelligence service to be more complex than writing in school. Spelling errors also play a role in short messages: “Spelling mistakes can also be perceived as embarrassing in WhatsApp. The young people sometimes point this out to one another and correct one another. It is important to them not to appear uneducated, ”says the scientist Dr. Florian Busch a report by the
MDR
according to.
Emojis are important, but they don't dominate communication.
The better you know each other, the fewer emojis are used: “Close friends sometimes completely refrain from using emojis because they are not necessary to understand each other properly.
In less close relationships, they are used to illustrate the meaning of a message, ”says Busch, explaining his research results.
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