WhatsApp Begins Rolling Out ‘Side by Side’ Feature for Android Tablets

WhatsApp, which is owned by Meta, is testing a new feature called “side-by-side” on Android tablets. As per the report by WABetaInfo, the feature will enable beta testers to switch between conversations without losing their ongoing chats, giving them more control over the WhatsApp interface on their Android tablets. 

The messaging platform has added a side-by-side view feature in its latest update for Android tablets. This feature allows users to switch between different chats without leaving their current chats. To access this feature, users must update their app to version 2.23.9.20 Android beta version and enable it in the app settings.

To use the Side-by-side view feature, users will need to turn it on in the app settings by toggling it on. It won’t be enabled by default. This feature splits the screen into two, which could result in smaller chat interfaces on each side, especially if your tablet screen isn’t too big. Some users may find this inconvenient and prefer the single-view display, which can also be accessed in the same settings menu.

In our previous report about the WhatsApp Split View feature, we noticed that a lot of our readers weren’t liking it since it was enabled by default and there was no way to disable it. Thankfully, the side-by-side feature can be disabled easily by going to WhatsApp Settings > Chats and toggling the available option.

The feature is currently only available for a few Android beta testers who have installed the latest WhatsApp beta version on their tablets. More beta testers will receive the feature soon. The general public can expect the feature to be available in a few weeks.

WhatsApp Adds Multiple Device Support

In another news, WhatsApp now allows users to use a single account on multiple phones or tablets, which is a frequently requested feature. Previously, because each account is linked to a phone number, only one account could be used per device. With the update, there will be no synchronization issues when using the same account on both personal and work phones.

The only downside is that this feature can only be used if the secondary device is an Android phone or tablet. Currently, it does not support expanding your account to an iOS device. However, iPhones and iPads can still be used as primary devices to extend an account to Android. If you don’t use your main device for a while, you will be automatically logged out from your other devices to ensure your privacy.

We can expect that the ability to use an iOS device as a secondary for a WhatsApp account will likely be added in future updates, as these changes are new and have been tested since 2022. WhatsApp is a popular messaging app with over 2.2 billion active users in over 100 countries. It provides end-to-end encryption and is a free messaging app, which helps explain its popularity.

Previously, users could access their WhatsApp account on the web using a computer or secondary device, but the latest update enables seamless use of the app across multiple phones with real-time syncing.