The rumors were true: WhatsApp for Apple Watch is official. Following last week’s TestFlight leak, Meta today announced the release of a full-featured watchOS version of WhatsApp. Here are the details.
WhatsApp now has proper watchOS support beyond notifications
Meta has had a mixed history with Apple Watch apps. At times it’s enthusiastically supported watchOS, and occasionally it discontinues those apps.
Today, in an update rolling out on the App Store, WhatsApp is getting the proper watchOS treatment.
Previously, WhatsApp’s “solution” for Apple Watch was to point users to the built-in features of watchOS notifications, which let you read and reply to messages.
But now the company’s official Apple Watch app provides a lot more functionality.
Here are the highlights from Meta’s announcement:
- Call notifications: You can see who’s calling without needing to look at your iPhone.
- Full messages: You can read full WhatsApp messages on Apple Watch—even long messages are visible directly from your wrist.
- Voice messages: You can now record and send voice messages.
- React to messages: We’ve added the ability to send quick emoji reactions to messages you receive.
- A great media experience: You’ll see clearer images and stickers on your Apple Watch.
- Chat history: You can see more of your chat history on screen when reading messages.
Meta emphasizes that “your personal messages and calls remain private with end-to-end encryption,” even on Apple Watch. And there are plans for more features in future updates to further improve the watchOS experience.
The WhatsApp app for Apple Watch requires that you’re running watchOS 10 or later and have an Apple Watch Series 4 or later.
Are you excited for WhatsApp to finally have its own Apple Watch app? Let us know in the comments.
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