A decade after the first Apple Watch came out, WhatsApp is testing a dedicated app for the smartwatch. This would make replying to messages, viewing existing conversations, and sharing voice notes easier.
Currently, Apple Watch users can only respond to unread WhatsApp messages through the notification center. There’s no way to do anything else.
WhatsApp directly from your wrist
WhatsApp’s user base has rapidly expanded in the US in recent years. In July 2024, the messaging service reported surpassing 100 million monthly active users in the country.
Globally, WhatsApp is by far the most popular messaging app, with over a billion people using it daily to send billions of messages.
Given its popularity, the lack of a dedicated WhatsApp app for Apple Watch always felt restrictive. This meant you couldn’t use the watch to directly send voice notes, reactions, or send new messages.
This will finally change, with WhatsApp testing a dedicated Apple Watch app. It seeded the app’s first build to users on its TestFlight program.
As WABetaInfo notes, your watch must be paired with the iPhone for the app to work. Once the initial setup, you can view all your existing conversations and even start a new one through WhatsApp on your Apple Watch. All your pinned conversations appear right at the top, like on the phone itself.
A better WhatsApp experience incoming
The app also makes replying to incoming messages easier. Plus, you even get a preview of shared media right on your wrist. Other features include being able to send voice notes, using voice dictation to write texts, send emojis as reactions, etc.
A companion watchOS app will go a long way in improving the experience of using WhatsApp on iPhone. Meta already offers a dedicated WearOS WhatsApp app, so a watchOS app was long overdue.
Meta has only just started testing the WhatsApp Apple Watch app, so a public release might still be a few weeks or months away.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
