Meta now has a dedicated iPad app for WhatsApp, more than 15 years after the messaging service and the first iPad launched (2009 and 2010, respectively). Available to download today via the App Store, WhatsApp for iPad supports many of the same features as its iPhone counterpart, allowing users to join audio and video calls with up to 32 people, use both the rear and front device cameras, and share their screen with other call participants.
The WhatsApp for iPad works with iPadOS features like Stage Manager, Split View, and Slide Over, enabling it to run alongside other applications. That means users can view their messages in a split-screen view while browsing the web or watching videos, making the larger screen more practical for multitasking while using the app, compared to constantly switching away from WhatsApp on smaller mobile devices.
If you wanted to use WhatsApp on a larger screen before the iPad app, you had to either run the web version in your iPad’s browser or use the desktop apps for Mac or PC. In 2022, WhatsApp head Will Cathcart said that Meta would “love” to develop a native iPadOS WhatsApp experience, noting that “people have wanted an iPad app for a long time.”
The WhatsApp account on X teased on Monday that the app was coming via a not-so-subtle eyes emoji, but there was no indication that it would drop this soon. Meta is also rumored to be developing an Instagram app for iPad that’s optimized for the larger display, but the company hasn’t dropped any hints about that in the way it did for WhatsApp.
