Here’s how WhatsApp’s multi-device syncing feature could work
- More details on WhatsApp’s chat migration and synchronization feature have been released.
- The details suggest that this is a key element for WhatsApps’ greater multi-device support.
Last month, reports about the planned WhatsApp function to migrate chat history between iOS and Android made headlines. Now details have emerged on how this process is part of the app’s multi-device plans.
According to feature tipster WABetaInfo, details of the feature are included in beta version 2.21.10.6. Once data has been migrated to a second device, the two devices will be linked to the same WhatsApp account and will stay in sync. This suggests that chat migration could be the first step in enabling WhatsApp functionality for multiple devices if a user wants to use their account on two devices with different operating systems.
In particular, the sync reflects a user’s WhatsApp data and actions on the two devices. According to the report, deleting a specific message in a group will delete it from both devices. Pinned or flagged messages are also displayed on both devices. Messages sent on one phone are also visible on another phone.
According to WABetaInfo, however, some actions are not yet synchronized. Deleting a “specific message for you” on one device will not delete it on the second device or on the entire chat. It is unclear why this is the case. It is possible that WhatsApp might want to incorporate basic redundancy in the event of accidental deletion. Given this feature is still evolving, these quirks can be wrinkles that need to be ironed out.
The chat migration feature was first discovered in April, while the first details on the planned support of WhatsApp for multiple devices were revealed as early as 2020. There is no indication that either will make their prime-time debut anytime soon.
