WhatsApp rolls out Companion Mode for select beta users

WhatsApp has been working on a bunch of new features that are slated to arrive in the coming weeks for all users. For instance, the company is working on a Community feature, 32-person video calling, sending messages to yourself, etc. However, before these features make it to the stable version of WhatsApp, they are first served to beta users.

And some fortunate WhatsApp beta users are getting their hands on another great feature that the company has been working on for a while. Apparently, the feature that we are talking about is the WhatsApp “Companion Mode”, which allows you to link a new device with the same account on an existing phone.

What this means is that you can simultaneously use two different devices with one WhatsApp account and phone number. This feature isn’t something new for instant messaging apps, and WhatsApp’s rival Telegram already has it. The new WhatsApp Companion Mode feature was spotted by WABetaInfo and is available to beta users on version 2.22.24.18.

If the feature is live for your phone, then you will see a “Link with your phone” option, where the app will ask you to scan a QR Code similar to WhatsApp web or the desktop app. After you link your phone, your chats will get synchronized on the linked device. Do note that some features, including live location, stickers, broadcasts, etc., may not get synced.

You can link up to 4 devices at once and more than two smartphones to the same WhatsApp account. A wider rollout is expected to happen in the coming days. For now, though, only select beta users can test out this feature. If you wish to try it out, make sure that you have the latest beta version of the WhatsApp app.