Overview
- This week WhatsApp began rolling out to limited users a way to register eligible iPads as the account’s primary device instead of only as a linked companion.
- Android tablets in recent beta builds show a new 'Choose an option' setup screen that lets testers either link the tablet as a companion or transfer the account to the tablet as primary.
- Setting a tablet as primary follows the normal phone-number verification flow or uses an existing passkey on iPad and on Android allows chat restore from Google Drive after verification.
- Making a tablet the primary device signs out the previous primary phone but leaves the phone available to be re-linked as a companion; companion mode remains supported for users who prefer it.
- The change removes companion-mode limits such as blocked live location, broadcast lists and the 14-day inactivity logout, which could help people who rely on tablets when a phone is lost or in repair, but the rollout is staged so most users may not see the options yet.