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WhatsApp is an incredibly popular messaging platform with over 2.24 billion active users and around 100 billion messages sent every single day. That’s even more impressive when you consider it’s primarily a mobile app with no way to use the service without a connected smartphone.
But what about the iPad? It seems like the ideal gadget to chat with mates on WhatsApp, right?
The problem is that there isn’t currently an official WhatsApp app for iPad, so what are Apple-based WhatsApp users to do? While Apple would probably like you to use iMessage instead, there’s a second option available: WhatsApp Web.
The WhatsApp Web interface launched back in 2015 as a way to gain access to WhatsApp on a Mac or PC without the need for an app – and with iPads able to render full websites instead of mobile variants via the Safari browser, it’s also available on iPad.
There are a few restrictions compared to a full-blown app, most notably the lack of notifications, but it is a way to send and receive WhatsApp messages on the big screen of your tablet. If you’re interested, here’s how to do it.
The first step is a simple one; on your iPad, open the Safari browser and navigate to the WhatsApp Web website at web.whatsapp.com.
Next, grab the smartphone you use WhatsApp on – iOS or Android, both are compatible – and open the WhatsApp app. 
The next step is to access the Linked Devices menu, but this varies depending on your smartphone. For Android users, tap the three dots in the top-right of the chat tab and tap Linked Devices. If you’re using an iPhone, tap the Settings icon in the top-right of the chat tab and tap Linked Devices. 
The next step is to link your WhatsApp app to the WhatsApp Web interface on your iPad. To start the process, tap Link a Device and, if necessary, give the app permission to access your camera – you’ll need it in the next step.
You should then see a camera preview window appear on your smartphone with a square in the middle – simply aim the camera preview at the QR code on the WhatsApp Web interface on your iPad and wait a few seconds for your devices to pair. 
You’re done! The WhatsApp Web interface should update to show a list of existing conversations, and you can also start new chats by tapping the new message icon at the top of the conversation list. 
Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t allow web-based apps to deliver notifications via Safari, so no, you can’t get notifications on your iPad – you’ll have to keep your connected smartphone nearby to be alerted to incoming messages.
While there’s huge demand for a WhatsApp app for iPad with full functionality, there’s no official app available just yet – though leaks have teased that an iPad app could be in development. Plus, there’s a WhatsApp app available for macOS, so we can’t imagine it’d be too difficult to port that to iPadOS. We’ll just have to wait and see for now!
Yes! If you want quick access to WhatsApp Web, simply tap the share button in the top-right in Safari and tap Add to Home Screen.
The big omission for many will be the lack of notifications, but it’s not the only limitation of the WhatsApp Web interface on iPad. You’ll also struggle to make and receive both audio calls and video calls when using the app on a tablet.
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
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